Obstacles
by Ayame4679
Summary: Hiccup never got sick, so him getting a fever one morning was a rude surprise. But a sick Hiccup plus an unwanted enemy looming on the horizons of Berk? Now that was a bad combination.
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N: Two stories at a time, this should be interesting... I'm still going to be updating Reunion, so don't worry guys! I was just extremely bored and had been wanting to write a story like this for a while; sorry if it's bad, it's my first time with these kinds of stories )**

**Chapter 1**

'Today's going to be a horrible day.' That was the first thought that struck Hiccup as he sat up in bed. His head was pounding, he felt lightheaded, and he felt like throwing up whenever he moved. He couldn't be sick, could he? He's never gotten sick before! Toothless immediately ran to his bedside, eyes shining with the need to fly. Hiccup was about to respond when a searing pain tore through his head, causing the boy to cry out and clutch at his head. He shut his eyes, hoping this would pass in a bit. Toothless let out a worried coo and eyed the door nervously, hoping Stoick was nearby. Hiccup didn't seem right…

A tense moment passed as Hiccup recollected himself and uncertainly rose out of bed. He swayed dangerously for a second, but Toothless automatically stepped next to him, offering himself as a crutch. Hiccup smiled weakly and with the aid of his dragon, stumbled into the hallway. He stifled a sigh when he noticed the flight of stairs leading downstairs, not trusting his ability to attempt those without falling on his face.

"I'm gonna need your help with this, bud." Hiccup whispered shakily, taking a deep breath to steady himself. Toothless purred in agreement and gently led Hiccup towards the top of the stairs, waiting for him to take the first step down. Hiccup used all of his concentration focusing on not tumbling down the stairs and dying as he made his way down the steps in an agonizingly slow manner. Toothless didn't falter; he could tell the weak state his rider was in and was willing to take as long as he needed.

With one step left, Hiccup let out a relieved sigh and began to take the last step when all the blood came rushing back to his head. He tried to center himself, but felt all the strength leave his body as he lurched forward. Toothless barked in alarm and made a move forward but stopped as Hiccup fell into Stoick's arms instead. Stoick eyed Hiccup with concern etched all over his face.

"Son, are you alright?" He asked quietly, although he clearly knew he was not alright.

"Yup, just fine dad. I don't know what came over me." Hiccup stammered nervously, shaking his head slightly as he tried to get the dizzy feeling out of his mind. Stoick kept his hand on Hiccup's shoulder, staring intently at the boy as he grew more and more uncomfortable under his dad's gaze.

Hiccup cleared his throat quickly. "Uh, dad? I should probably get to the forge… Gobber's waiting and I don-"

"No you're not, not when you're sick." Stoick cut him off, ushering him back upstairs. When Stoick abruptly turned Hiccup around back towards the steps, Hiccup felt his stomach lurch at the sudden movement and dug in his heels, praying that he didn't throw up. Stoick paused and glared at Hiccup, annoyed that he even tried to leave the house in this state.

"I'm not sick." Hiccup declared stubbornly. "I'm probably just exhausted from last night. I was working in the forge for a long time without resting."

"This isn't exhaustion, Hiccup. You can barely walk without looking like you're about to collapse!" Stoick argued, exasperated.

"And how is that not exhaustion to you?" Hiccup snapped, the need to curl up on the ground and go to sleep growing stronger by the second.

Stoick didn't reply and pressed the back of his hand to Hiccup's forehead. Almost instantly, he jerked his hand back, alarmed at how quickly his son was burning up. His gaze hardened and he unceremoniously gathered Hiccup into his arms and marched up the stairs. Hiccup groaned at the harsh movement and squeezed his eyes shut, focusing on relieving the pounding in his head. He felt himself relax when he was laid back down in his bed, reflexively snuggling back into his blanket furs. Not wishing to deal with all the nausea and headaches, he easily fell back into a deep sleep.

For a few moments Stoick just watched Hiccup fall asleep, adjusting the blanket so that he was firmly tucked in. With a sigh, he stepped back downstairs to fetch a rag and a bucket of cold water. He gently placed a wet rag on Hiccup's forehead, worriedly wondering who would watch over Hiccup today; he had chieftain duties to attend to. He glanced back at Toothless, who was making his way towards Hiccup's bed, eyeing him sorrowfully.

"Toothless, can I ask you to watch over Hiccup for now? I'll send Astrid in a bit to check up on him, just don't let him get out of bed, okay?" Toothless nodded in response, curling up next to the bed silently.

"If you need me, I'll be around the Great Hall. Just call out for me if there's something wrong." Another nod from the Night Fury as it settled down, eyes alert. Satisfied, Stoick glanced at Hiccup, his gaze softening as he reached down to give Hiccup's hand a light squeeze. He made his way out of the room, but not before sneaking one last look at his son's sleeping form. He knew Hiccup wouldn't want to stay in bed for long, and he was counting on the dragon to keep Hiccup in place as he recovered. Hopefully, the recovery period wouldn't be that long.


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N: Sorry this is so short, I've been trying to think of a good way to write this like I have it in my head. Please bear with me )**

**Chapter 2**

Hiccup woke up a few hours later, his head pounding. With a groan, he sat up in bed, groggily staring around the room. His gaze fell upon the window and with a startle, noticed the sun high in the sky. He had already missed half the day! He shifted to move out of bed when a tail halted him, gently pushing him back towards the bed. He glanced down and saw Toothless eyeing him sternly, pushing even more firmly against his chest, warning him to lay back down.

"Aw come on, bud! I'm fine! Look! Just needed a little sleep." He grinned, trying to make himself sound as healthy as possible, ignoring how lightheaded he felt. Toothless rolled his eyes and pushed a final time, pushing Hiccup onto the bed successfully this time. Hiccup swatted weakly at the tail, growing more irritated by the Night Fury.

"Let me up, you useless reptile!" Hiccup exclaimed, exasperated. Toothless merely purred in response as he laid his head down onto Hiccup's stomach, halting any movement from the boy. Hiccup groaned, hating how little energy he had at the moment. His eyes narrowed; two can play at this game.

"Hey Toothless," Hiccup called out kindly. "If you let me up, I'll give you two baskets of fish instead of one today." With a smirk, he noticed Toothless' eyes instantly snap open as he stared at his rider eagerly. He whined, conflicted between the fish and Hiccup's well-being. Stoick had told him to keep Hiccup in bed!

"I'm fine, Toothless! And besides you're still here to take care of me if something goes wrong. I know you want that extra fish…" Hiccup whispered teasingly. There was a long pause as Hiccup watched his dragon reach a decision. With a grumble, Toothless slowly lifted his head off of Hiccup, watching carefully as his rider pushed himself off his back once again. Slowly, as to not get himself dizzy again, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and braced himself to stand up.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" Hiccup and Toothless whipped their heads towards the doorway, where Astrid was standing in the entrance, arms crossed and an annoyed look in her glare. Hiccup smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head nervously. "Oh you know, just admiring the room. What brings you here this fine day?"

Astrid rolled her eyes and strolled across the room, firmly pushing Hiccup back into bed. Hiccup attempted to struggle, but failed miserably as he flopped back onto his back. "Aw come on, not you too!" Hiccup complained as Astrid picked up the discarded rag and rewet it in the bucket of water, placing it back onto Hiccup's forehead. Hiccup sighed contently at the feeling of the cold rag against his face. He didn't realize how hot he felt until now. Astrid stood silently for a few moments, staring at Hiccup with a worried look on her face. He really was sick…

"Are you hungry? Stoick left some soup in the pot for you to eat when you woke up." Hiccup began to open his mouth to refuse when his stomach spoke before him, growling loudly at the thought of food. A warm blush travelled up to Hiccup's face, which he didn't think was possible due to how hot he already was. Astrid cracked a small smile as she turned back around towards the kitchen to fetch the soup.

Hiccup shifted in the bed, trying to get comfortable. It wasn't like he could get out anytime soon. Toothless settled down next to the bed once again, grumbling that it couldn't get the extra fish now, but knowing that Hiccup staying in bed was the more important issue. Within minutes, Astrid stepped back into the room, soup and warm yak milk on a tray. The scent hit Hiccup immediately, his stomach begging for food. Astrid helped Hiccup sit up, propping him up against his pillow and placed the tray on his lap. She pulled up a chair and sat next to him as he eagerly dug into his soup, almost inhaling it. Before she knew it, the bowl was scraped clean as Hiccup leaned back against the pillow with a content sigh. Astrid grinned and dabbed at the growing sweat on his forehead with the rag, rewetting to make sure it was cool.

For a moment, silence fell between them as Hiccup closed his eyes and focused on his headache. It had lessened after he had eaten, but it still bothered him. Astrid didn't try to break the silence; she gingerly laid him back down and placed the furs over him once more. Sleep pulling at him rapidly, Hiccup tiredly opened his eyes one more time, glancing at Astrid for a moment.

"Thanks, Astrid." He mumbled drowsily before letting himself succumb to sleep for the second time.

Astrid smiled warmly at Hiccup as she replaced the rag back onto his forehead. She sat back against the chair, and after a moment's hesitation, reached for his hand and grasped it with one of hers.

"You're welcome, Hiccup." she whispered.


	3. Chapter 3

**(A/N: Idk, am I writing this okay? Forgive me if my writing is awkward at times, I'm working on it.)**

**Chapter 3**

It had been a couple days since Hiccup fell ill, but he seemed to be recovering at a snail's pace. No longer nauseated as much, Hiccup finally managed to move around the house without worrying about collapsing. But, the newly discovered coughing fits, mild fever, and slight lightheadedness stuck around stubbornly. Astrid and Stoick constantly switched off, both tending to Hiccup as he tried to recover as quickly as he could. Toothless, although he cared about Hiccup's health, had been restless to go flying for days. He constantly whined and rolled on the ground, praying that today would be the day they could finally go flying like usual. It was another one of those days as Hiccup sat on a stool downstairs, bemusedly watching Toothless throw another fit.

"I know bud, I hate it too." Hiccup sighed dejectedly, swinging his legs absently. He glanced up at his dad, who was preparing yet another pot of soup for Hiccup. Quite frankly, he was growing tired of that soup, but he knew better than to complain. Maybe he could convince his dad to let him and Toothless fly to the cove… It wasn't that far from here, and getting fresh air could only be good when someone's sick, right?

He cleared his throat nervously. "Hey, dad…?"

Without skipping a beat and without bothering to look up, Stoick instantly replied "No, you may not go outside Hiccup. Not until you're completely better." Hiccup deflated immediately, grumbling to himself. Another thought struck him; maybe if he could just convince his dad that he was a lot better, he could go out! _Just don't cough_, he reminded himself, _just don't cough_.

"Well what do you know, I think I'm feeling a lot better than I've ever been, dad!" Hiccup exclaimed cheerfully, hopping off the stool and sauntering over towards his dad. Stoick paused and turned to glare at Hiccup. Hiccup refused to back down, and stared back, thankful that he wasn't feeling dizzy yet.

"Really now?" Stoick questioned dryly.

"Yup! I feel like a new man!" Hiccup responded enthusiastically.

A short pause passed between them. _Don't cough, don't cough, don't cough._

Hiccup let out a short cough. _The Gods hate me._

Stoick stared pointedly at the now fidgeting Hiccup. "Everyone coughs once in a while, dad! My throat was just itching!" Hiccup pointed out as his dad sighed and resumed his attention to stirring the soup. Hiccup recollected himself; he refused to lose this time.

"Look dad, just let me fly with Toothless out to the cove. No wait, just listen!" Hiccup demanded, noticing his dad opening his mouth to interrupt and wanting to get his say in before his dad tried to shut him down again. Stoick glanced down at Hiccup, surprised at his outburst. He nodded and waited for Hiccup to finish.

"The cove isn't far from here, I just want to get out of this house for a little bit. Besides, I'm feeling a lot better. Might I add that fresh air is very helpful in a recovery process when one is sick!"

Stoick regarded Hiccup silently, staring intently at the boy as he shuffled his feet. Hiccup stared at the ground, bracing himself for the rejection.

"Fine."

Both Hiccup and Toothless – who had been listening to the entire conversation – perked up at the word. Hiccup stared at his dad, eyes wide with surprise. He burst into a smile and hugged his dad tightly, repeating "Thank you" over and over again. Stoick grinned and hugged him back for a moment, then grasped his son by the shoulder and eyed him sternly.

"I want you back here in 2 hours, before it gets dark. If you even start to feel sick again, you get back home immediately, you understand me?" He commanded firmly, making sure his son was listening to every word.

Hiccup nodded, eyes shining with gratitude. He glanced back at Toothless, who was barking excitedly and already standing by the door. With a laugh, he made his way towards the door, a rush of adrenaline filling him at finally being free – even if it was only for 2 hours. Once outside, Toothless enthusiastically threw Hiccup onto his back and burst into a run towards the forest. Hiccup's felt a sharp pain in his head at the sudden movement but he shook it off, refusing to waste any more time not flying.

"Come on, bud!" Hiccup yelled joyfully as he connected his leg to the saddle, opening up the tail. Toothless cooed loudly and leapt into the air, Toothless being careful not to fly too high in case Hiccup didn't feel well again.

Hiccup felt the lightheadedness begin to gnaw at him again, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. He whooped with joy and flew Toothless towards the cove, making sure they enjoyed as much flight time as they could.

All too soon, they landed inside the familiar grounds of the cove. Toothless purred contently and made his way over to the pond as Hiccup slid off and settled against a rock. Almost immediately, he was racked with another coughing fit, but Hiccup stubbornly stopped it, refusing to go home earlier than the two hour deadline. Toothless' ears perked at the coughing and he stared at where Hiccup was seated, eyeing him worriedly.

"It's nothing, Toothless. I'm fine." Hiccup reassured the dragon, who reluctantly let the matter drop and continued searching for fish in the pond. Hiccup sighed and leaned against the rock, taking in his surroundings as he breathed in the fresh air. The sun was still bright enough to cast warm rays of sunlight into the cove, illuminating the rich green of the tree leaves covering the area. The sound of running water relaxed him, numbing the dull pounding in his head. Yup, this was definitely better than staying at home.

* * *

It was dark as the disheveled soldier made his way through the tunnels, the torches offering an eerie and ominous glow to the area. It wasn't long before he came across the room he was searching and knocked once, waiting for the green light to go inside.

"What is it?" A gruff voice demanded, not bothering to give permission for the soldier to enter. The soldier, however, wasn't fazed as he relayed the information.

"Preparations are complete, sir." He replied curtly. A low chuckle could be heard from the other side of the door as the soldier heard heavy footsteps making its way towards the doorway. The door slammed open as a large figure made its way out, ruthlessly shoving the soldier out of the way. The soldier caught himself before he fell and quickly lowered his head in respect before making his way back towards his quarters. The figure glanced to his left to see the soldiers he had ordered already standing at alert, awaiting his command.

Alvin smiled cruelly. "We set sail for Berk tonight! I think it's time we paid the Dragon Conqueror another visit, eh?"


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N: Blargh, sorry guys I tried my bestt. A lot of you guys have been asking when this story actually takes place, and I'm going to say probably during the first season of the TV show (Riders of Berk) after Hiccup finally encounters Alvin. Having this after the second season doesn't make sense because Alvin turns into a somewhat good guy by the end haha. Anyways, hopefully you guys enjoy this chapter!)**

**Chapter 4**

Stoick noticed Hiccup's energy had noticeably increased as the boy burst through the door with Toothless. His eyes were shining with content, a large smile plastered on his face. His dragon was no different, purring loudly and eagerly bounding back into the house.

_Exactly two hours,_ Stoick thought to himself, impressed at his punctuality. "How are you feeling, son?" he asked tentatively.

"How am I feeling? I feel better than ever, dad!" He chirped in response, even so much as walking to his dad and offering a hearty pat on his arm. Stoick's brow rose in amusement, immensely relieved Hiccup's health seemed to be improving. He rustled his son's hair playfully, pausing to place his hand against Hiccup's forehead. The fever had lessened considerably, but he could still feel the slight warmth against his skin. "Get some rest, son. You need all the sleep you can get to recover completely."

"Alright… Hey dad?" Hiccup's voice took on that quieter tone, one he used when he wanted to ask something. Stoick glanced at Hiccup, eyes questioning as the boy nervously shuffled his feet.

"Do you think I could go back to the cove tomorrow? I mean, it seems to be helping me get better, and Toothless is gonna throw another fit if we can't go outside again." Stoick pondered the request, eyeing Hiccup thoughtfully. He couldn't deny that Hiccup was _wrong_, because it did look like he was getting better. After a brief moment, he nodded, grinning as he watched his son brighten instantly. Hiccup yelled a quick thanks and made his way upstairs, Toothless close behind. Stoick shook his head, a grin still on his face. _He can never stay inside, can he?_ He thought amusedly to himself, turning back towards the fire.

The instant Hiccup closed the door behind him, he slid to the ground, head between his hands. His headache, which he thought disappeared since he got to the cove, was back with a vengeance. He stifled a loud groan, not wanting his dad to revoke his rights outside the house again. Toothless, who had been settling down in the corner, noticed his rider still slumped against the door and let out a worried whimper. Hiccup shook his head, pushing himself to his feet as he staggered towards the bed. He offered Toothless a weak smile, sliding into bed slowly.

"Don't worry bud, just need some rest." Hiccup rolled his eyes as his dragon continued to watch him, concern obvious in the dragon's forest green eyes. "I'll be _fine_, Toothless! You heard my dad, I just need some rest!" Hiccup dropped the matter and laid down in his bed, shutting his eyes tightly as his head continued to pound painfully. He could feel Toothless staring for a while longer before laying down to sleep as well. _It's gonna be a long night_, Hiccup grumbled to himself as he focused on easing his headache.

* * *

The waters of Berk were quiet, its waves splashing against the beaches with a soft crash. Except for a few torches illuminated through the village, you could hardly see a thing. Even the tower guards could barely see a couple feet past their post, even with the extra light from the torches. Which was why the small rowboat was able to quietly make its way onto the shores of Berk, harboring a few rather large figures inside.

"Hurry it up, you fools! We're almost there!" Alvin hissed quietly at the soldiers, who were frantically attempting to row quickly while making sure the tiny boat didn't capsize under their weight. As they neared the shore, Alvin felt the smile on his face grow. He finally heard the bottom of the boat brush against the ground, and he silently jumped onto the sand, eyeing the island hungrily.

"Ahh, Berk. How I've missed this place." Alvin growled grimly. "Settle here for now. Remember not to start a fire, we don't want any… discoverers. We'll camp further into the forest tomorrow morning." The soldiers, still panting, nodded silently and hustled off towards an isolated area near the rocks.

Alvin turned his attention back towards the village in the distance, grinning maliciously. "Soon, the Dragon Conqueror will be ours!"

* * *

Hiccup abruptly sat up in bed, panting heavily. His chest felt incredibly heavy and was almost instantly hit with another fit of coughing. He grabbed his pillow and attempted to muffle the coughs, not wanting to wake his dad and bring attention to the revived symptoms. The coughs were quieter, but not quiet enough as Toothless' ears perked up. He lifted his head drowsily and stared at Hiccup, eyes taking on that concerned expression once more. Hiccup shook his head silently, a warning to remain quiet. Toothless eyed Hiccup warily, reluctantly lowering his head and going back to sleep. Hiccup flopped back down into the bed and felt tears stinging his eyes as his headache immediately replaced the subsiding coughs. This was definitely going to be a long night.

* * *

Stoick rose out of bed just before daybreak, lumbering downstairs to prepare breakfast. He felt his mood lighten as he glanced out the window, the sky begin to take on a lighter hue as the sun began to make its appearance. _Hiccup should be waking up soon,_ he thought as he began to warm some yak milk on the fireplace. His thoughts were confirmed as he heard the familiar creaking of the steps as Hiccup made his way downstairs. He gazed up to greet his son but paused, observing him more closely.

Hiccup looked like he hadn't slept all night, eyes utterly exhausted. Stoick pursed his lips, but decided not to comment on it. Hiccup lifted his head and whispered a low "Mornin', dad" as he sank down onto a stool.

"Did you sleep well?" Stoick asked casually, still eyeing his son watchfully. He thought he noticed Hiccup stiffen slightly, but couldn't think much of it as Hiccup spoke up again, a little louder this time.

"Oh you know… Just had a bad dream. Haven't had one of those in a while." Hiccup chuckled weakly, stubbornly refusing to make eye contact with his dad. Stoick said nothing as he walked up to Hiccup and placed a hand onto Hiccup's forehead once again. Still slightly warm… He couldn't tell if it had gotten worse or not.

"Are you still feeling sick, son?" Hiccup finally chose to look up at his dad, shaking his head quickly.

"No!... Well the worst of it is gone at least." He stammered, hoping his dad would stop pressing on the issue. Stoick continued to stare suspiciously at his son, but Hiccup refused to break eye contact, knowing that breaking it would only make things worse. After a few seconds of silence, Hiccup decided to break the tension again, this time with a question.

"So… can I go to the cove now? You know Toothless always wants to go for a morning flight and this is the closest he's gonna get." Hiccup saw Stoick hesitate and decided to keep on talking in hopes of convincing him.

"Remember how much the visit yesterday helped? Trust me dad, I'm feeling well enough to do this. Besides, you know that if I don't look well Toothless will drag me back home." Hiccup paused as his dad held up a hand to silence him and held his breath, hoping what he said was good enough. Stoick chewed his lip thoughtfully, before giving a slow nod. "Don't be too long, you hear?" He added quickly, noticing Hiccup immediately hopping off the stool and rushing towards the door. Hiccup gave a quick thumbs up and followed Toothless outside, the dragon already hopping up and down excitedly. As the door closed, Stoick turned towards the fireplace with a frown, eyeing the forgotten cup of yak milk he had left for Hiccup.

Toothless flew slowly over the treetops, enjoying the breeze as much as Hiccup was. Hiccup sighed contently and closed his eyes, glad his headache hadn't been bothering him since he had went downstairs this morning. Spotting the cove up ahead, he directed Toothless to circle the cove once, not wanting to land just yet. Unfortunately, he only began to lightheaded again from the spinning and ushered Toothless to the ground before it got worse. Hiccup hopped off and sat down against a rock near the pond, watching amusedly as Toothless nearly dove into the water to catch some fish for breakfast. He felt another cough itching his throat but he stubbornly tried to push it back down, only causing the cough to turn into multiple coughs. Toothless growled warningly at Hiccup, knowing that those weird coughing noises his rider was making was a sign of him getting sick again. Hiccup waved his dragon's glare off absently, closing his eyes and concentrating on listening to the sounds that made up the cove to relax him. He felt his concentration drift away as he grew more relaxed and fell into a fitful nap, the sound of Toothless splashing around the pond still lingering in his mind.

* * *

"Where are we exactly, sir?" One of the soldiers timidly whispered, following his fellow soldiers as they made their way through the vast forest. Alvin didn't reply as he gruffly made his way past several branches, not bothering to brush them off as they scraped quietly against his armor. He was trying to formulate a plan on how he could possibly nab that boy without causing a ruckus. He pressed forward, not having any clue where he was leading his men but just making sure they were deep enough in the forest that they wouldn't be easily spotted from the village.

Alvin finally snapped out of his trance when he heard another stray soldier eagerly making his way towards his group, nearly stumbling on a tree stump sticking out of the ground. He glared at the soldier as he collected his breath, as if daring him to bring any bad news. Fortunately for the soldier, he brought news that Alvin would like.

"Sir? I think you'd like to see this." Alvin nodded briskly and followed the soldier as he guided them towards a small opening between two boulders. The soldier motioned to stay quiet and pointed towards the opening. Alvin made his way forward and peered into what seemed to be a small cove of some sorts. His scanned the area, eyes quickly landing on what his soldier was trying to show him. A smile slowly spread across his face, eyes gleaming darkly.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" He whispered, voice filled with delight.


	5. Chapter 5

**(A/N: Hopefully this is coherent, I'm still drained from a day of driving school and tennis camp ahhh. On another note I have a confession to make: I have gone and seen HTTYD 2 three times already and am trying to go a fourth time this weekend. I think I have a problem LOL but the movie is soo good! I don't know I need to see good movies more than once, don't judge me.)**

**Chapter 5**

Alvin couldn't believe his luck, already running into the Dragon Conqueror while he was isolated from the village! Too bad that blasted dragon was still there; he knew his men wouldn't be able to get within ten feet of the boy without getting smoked to a crisp.

"He's seems to be sleeping, sir. Shall we nab him now?" one of the men inquired, already inching towards the opening eagerly. Alvin shook his head and glared as the other men began to follow suit, freezing the soldiers in their tracks. He jerked his head back towards the cove and several eyes followed to glance at the boy once more. They frowned slightly as they realized what Alvin was showing them; the boy was waking up.

* * *

Hiccup stretched with a loud yawn, blinking the sleep away from his eyes. He hadn't realized he had been that tired… He glanced over and saw Toothless was done frolicking in the waters and was currently curled next to him staring curiously. Hiccup grinned and pulled himself to his feet, cringing at the ache in his back from sitting in the same position for a while. He could feel the pounding in his head begin to make its way back, but as of now it was only a minor annoyance. "Let's get home, bud." Toothless snorted and rose as well, leaning down so his rider could easily make his way onto his back. He noticed Hiccup was taking an awful long time to get onto the saddle and looked over his shoulder, finding Hiccup in the middle of another coughing fit. He growled and turned around to step closer to Hiccup, wrapping a wing around him as if offering a hug. Maybe warmth was what his rider needed…

Hiccup felt himself smiling in appreciation for Toothless' gesture amidst the subsiding coughs. He gently pushed the wing away and climbed onto the saddle, giving his dragon a reassuring rub on the head. Toothless purred and jumped towards the sky once more, slowly setting course for home.

* * *

Alvin glared as the boy and his dragon flew further and further away towards the village. The soldiers shuffled nervously beside him, not sure what to do now. "Um… sir? What do we do with the boy gone now?", one piped up worriedly, eyeing the now darkening forest around him as the sun began to set. Alvin remained silent for a minute more, eyes calculating as he formulated a plan. With a grin, he turned towards his men and waited until he got their full attention.

"I want you all to camp down in that cove, behind the boulders so no one can see you. I'll say more once we're all settled. Now get on with it!" The soldiers jumped as Alvin growled the last sentence and scrambled towards the cove, trying to navigate a way down. Alvin stayed put, scanning the area briefly as he went over the idea in his head. Yes, this will work just fine…

* * *

Hiccup paused just outside his door, releasing a deep breath as he tried to look as healthy as possible. Gathering himself up, he walked through the door as casually as he could, giving his dad – who was seated by the fireplace – a quick nod of acknowledgement. He made a beeline for the staircase, but was halted as his dad began to speak.

"How are you feeling?" Stoick asked as he eyed his son's speedy attempt at an exit suspiciously. He watched Hiccup freeze instantly and turn towards him, voice a bit _too_ enthusiastic.

"I'm feeling great, dad! Man, I've never felt better! This cove thing is really helping!" Hiccup let out a couple laughs, quieting down as he watched his dad lumber over towards him. He knew his dad wasn't convinced, but he refused to lose this one. The cove was his only source of freedom, and it was going to suck for both him and Toothless if he lost that privilege. Stoick gingerly placed a hand on Hiccup's forehead, still eyeing his son warily. It felt as warm as it did when Hiccup had left, or had it gotten warmer? He honestly couldn't tell.

Hiccup spotted his dad's eyes narrowing and spoke up earnestly, making his condition sound as healthy as possible. "I'm feeling a lot better, I'm serious! The cove's really been helping, have I mentioned that my coughing is almost nonexistent now!" He knew it was a lie and so did Toothless, but neither said anything. Well, it wasn't like Toothless could either way. He immediately knew he had made a mistake when his dad's eyebrows rose up in surprise.

"You've been coughing?" He asked as Hiccup groaned quietly, realizing his dad hadn't been around when he had those coughing fits. "I _had been_ coughing, I'm fine now! Trust me. Can I go to bed now? You did say I needed all the sleep I could get." Hiccup slowly inched back towards the stairs, giving his dad the best puppy-eyed expression he could. He thought he saw his dad crack a smile, but refused to break out of character; he's so close!

Stoick had the urge to chuckle at his son's pleading look, but decided now was not the time. He couldn't remember Hiccup making that kind of face since he had been seven years old or so. He settled for staring at Hiccup as he continued to think; he didn't have proof that Hiccup was getting _worse_, so he had no choice but to abide by his request. "You're right. Good night, Hiccup." He was still saying his son's name as he watched his son beeline for the stairs once more, shouting a quick "Night dad!" over his shoulder.

Hiccup leaned heavily against his door as it closed, exhausted from all the movement. Toothless regarded his rider curiously. Maybe Hiccup was hungry! With a coo, he regurgitated a fish head he had consumed earlier at the cove onto the floor, eyeing Hiccup with anticipation. Hiccup shrank away from the saliva coated fish head, feeling his appetite dissipate immediately – not that he'd had one before. He tried to cook a fish and eat it at the cove earlier, but could barely eat more than two bites without feeling even sicker. "No thanks, bud. I'm good." Toothless stared at Hiccup incredulously, bending back over to eat the fish head once more. Hiccup felt slightly grossed out at the scene, but gave the dragon a light scratch under the chin regardless as he shuffled towards the bed. He sighed as he sank into his pillow, trying to block out the growing headache.

* * *

The boulders in the cove were narrow and bunched together, nearly not big enough to enclose 5 large Outcasts. Somehow, they had all managed to create a large enough space for them to camp for the night. After they had settled down, they ran through Alvin's plan in their heads once more, knowing that a failed mission will only result in a punishment for them. Unable to stop himself, a soldier blurted "How do we know that he's going to come back, sir? After all, this will only work if he returns to the cove." Alvin chuckled lowly, still staring distantly towards the dim light of the village. "He'll be back."

* * *

The night seemed to fly by for Hiccup as he alternated between brief periods of sleep and waking up suddenly as he muffled more coughs and eased more headaches. He almost looked forward to the morning, knowing that his symptoms seemed to lessen when he woke up at sunrise. Toothless was already by his bed as he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The cove had now become the new daily routine for the dragon as he waited for his rider to head downstairs. Hiccup grinned, feeling as excited as Toothless as he sauntered downstairs to where his dad was preparing breakfast. He felt his smile slip slightly as he eyed the platter of eggs with disdain; he still hadn't regained his appetite.

"Mornin', son! Ready for another day?" Stoick chirped, mood always light in the morning. He sat across from his son at the table and paused, noting how Hiccup wasn't digging into his breakfast like he usually did. "Um, I'm not really that hungry dad…" Hiccup began before Stoick abruptly cut him off, adopting a sterner tone as he spoke. "Nonsense, boy. You need to eat to get better, how else are you going to go around without any energy? No food, no cove." Hiccup's eyes widened in disbelief at the threat. He turned his attention back towards the eggs in front of him, resisting the urge to just run away from the table and out the door. In a painfully slow manner, Hiccup picked up the fork and ate the eggs, not even able to taste any of it as it went to his stomach. At the last bite, Hiccup dropped the fork and slid off the chair, feeling his stomach lurch at the motion. He took a deep breath and smiled at his dad, stating "Thanks for the food, dad. I'll be back before it gets dark!" before he followed a now restless Toothless out the door.

Toothless was wagging his tail eagerly, almost whimpering with the need to fly. Hiccup couldn't help but smile as he climbed on, praying that the flying wouldn't make him throw up. As Toothless took off, Hiccup shut his eyes, only concentrating on making sure his stomach didn't turn too much. Once Toothless had settled into a smooth glide, Hiccup opened his eyes, growing more comfortable at the familiar sensation of flying. He couldn't help but admire the rays of the morning sun reflecting the bright green colors of the treetops and became more relaxed at the sounds of the birds singing nearby as they slowly approached the cove. He was relieved that his headache hadn't made a grand appearance yet, and knew that it would come back once he landed. But right now, he didn't mind.


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N: Urgh sorry guys, this chapter's kinda iffy to me. Apologies in advance if it seems weird.)**

**Chapter 6**

Toothless touched down into the cove, leaning down so Hiccup could slide off easily. He could tell Hiccup hadn't been as focused on flying today – it must have been from that sickness he's been stuck with. The second Hiccup's feet met contact with the ground, he stiffened, shutting his eyes as he tried to relieve the returning headache from being too much of a pain. He felt Toothless immediately tense right after, causing his eyes to open back up and stare at his dragon questioningly. Toothless was crouched down, growling at a patch of boulders nearby. Confused, Hiccup followed Toothless' glare towards the boulders and took a hesitant step towards them.

"Hey, what's wrong bud?" Toothless instinctively made his way in front of Hiccup, trying to nudge him back further away. Hiccup was dumbfounded; Toothless wouldn't be acting like this without a good reason… He rose an eyebrow at Toothless as the dragon remained between the boulders and him, wings stretched as if to shield the boy from a potential threat.

Hiccup gently made his way towards Toothless' back, patting it lightly as he tried to make his way around the outstretched wings. "Come on, bud. What's going on?" Toothless responded with another glare, turning around as he tried to push Hiccup back away towards the other end of the cove. Before Hiccup could respond, he noticed an incredibly fast object from the corner of his eye fly in their direction. With a yelp, he scrambled backwards reflexively, his headache dulled by the adrenaline coursing through him. Toothless wasn't so lucky; he immediately was tangled in the bola, slamming to the ground heavily. The Night Fury roared furiously and thrashed around, only causing the dragon to get more entangled within the ropes.

"Toothless!" Hiccup ran forward, tugging weakly at the restraints as his mind raced with questions. What was going on? He didn't think to look towards the area from which the bola was thrown, only focused on getting Toothless free. He began to reach for the dagger he kept within in the insides of his tunic before a pair of hands roughly grabbed him, effectively halting any movement. He finally chose to look up, eyes narrowing as he watched Alvin lumber towards him, a triumphant sneer on his face.

"Nice to see you again, Alvin! To what do I owe the pleasure?" Hiccup retorted dryly, Toothless snarling at the Outcast leader immediately after. The other Outcast soldiers stepped forward and snapped a muzzle on the Night Fury before it could go firing any plasma blasts. Hiccup felt a surge of irritation at how they were treating Toothless, tugging as he tried to break free from the soldier's iron grip. He gave up after a few tries, surprised at how exhausted he was already. His head snapped back up as Alvin began to chuckle slowly.

"Ah, little Hiccup. The mighty Dragon Conqueror! Looks like it's my lucky day."

Hiccup rolled his eyes, ignoring the pit of worry growing in his stomach. He knew what Alvin was here for, but now was definitely not a great time to be focused on running from the Outcasts, especially in his state. "Yeah, yeah. Today's not really a good day for me to be off negotiating with you about training your dragons, so if we could make another appointment…" He was cut off by Alvin's bout of laughter, feeling a tiny bit of panic settling in.

"Sorry, boy. I made reservations for today." He growled as he nodded towards the Outcast constraining Hiccup. The soldier nodded and gruffly hit Hiccup on the back of the head. In theory, it should have only brought Hiccup to his knees, weak enough for the soldier to begin tying his hands behind him without any resistance. But today, what should have been a stinging pain intensified by a hundred, his head ringing at the rough contact. With a groan, he stumbled to his knees, darkness beginning to creep in from the sides of his vision. It wasn't long before he collapsed to the ground, breathing labored.

Toothless growled in alarm, thrashing even more wildly at the ropes, trying to make his way towards his rider, but was tackled by the other three smelly Outcasts. This only resulted in more flailing from the Night Fury as the Outcasts tried to hold on. One frantically wrapped his arms around the dragon's head, and by sheer luck scraped his fingers against the weak spot under the dragon's chin. The Night Fury instantaneously stilled and collapsed towards the ground as well, purring softly. The soldiers froze, not sure what had just happened, but immediately burst into grins at their ability to take down such a feared beast.

Alvin grinned as he made his way towards the great Dragon Conqueror, still on the ground as the soldier quickly tied his hands behind his back. He knelt down and tossed the boy over his shoulder before turning to the other soldiers, who were trying to lift the large dragon with great difficulty.

"On with it, you fools! The sooner we get back to Outcast Island, the better!" The soldiers jumped and with renewed energy, managed to lift the dragon onto the four Outcast's shoulders. As efficiently as they could with a weighty Night Fury on their backs, the Outcasts made their way out of the cove with Alvin close behind, returning towards the isolated area of the beach they had arrived from.

* * *

Stoick eyed the sky worriedly. Hiccup hadn't been this late before. It had always been two or three hours at the maximum, and it had already been four. The sun was already beginning to set, the light blue sky transforming into a light orange. He cursed under his breath, realizing he had never bothered to ask where the cove actually was. He pursed his lips and set out the door – he needed to find Astrid.


	7. Chapter 7

**(A/N: Wrote this while I was half-asleep LOL sorry I'll check for grammar errors in a bit when I'm more awake.)**

**Chapter 7**

Stoick found the teens practicing down at the Dragon Academy, although they seemed to be practicing somewhat haphazardly. The twins were merely spinning on their Zippleback in circles, headbutting each other occasionally while Snotlout was flying Hookfang erratically around the arena, the dragon breathing fire randomly in different directions. Fishlegs remained on the sidelines, settled next to Meatlug as he leafed through the Book of Dragons for what seemed to be the hundredth time; the boy never seemed to grow tired of absorbing more information on different dragons. Astrid seemed to be the only one in control of her dragon as she directed Stormfly past the random fireblasts and glared at the chaos around her. She immediately noticed Stoick standing at the entrance and flew down, the other teens soon following suit.

"Are you kids…practicing?" Stoick wasn't sure if practicing was the right word, but decided that was the nicest way to phrase it. Astrid scowled and glared at the sheepishly smiling group behind her, turning back towards Stoick with a huff.

"We were _supposed_ to be practicing more flight maneuvers, but we didn't last 5 minutes before things fell apart. No one is listening!" Astrid sighed in irritation as Tuffnut piped up indignantly.

"It's not our fault! Hiccup is usually the one who leads everything! We can't do anything without him telling us what to do!" The other teens nodded feverishly, even Astrid going silent, knowing that was the truth.

At the mention of his son's name, Stoick remembered why he had come to the Academy in the first place. He stepped towards Astrid, gesturing towards her to follow him. Astrid stared, eyes slightly confused and worried, but nodded and began to trace Stoick's steps back outside. The other teens began to follow suit, but was halted by Stoick's hand. They groaned and turned back towards the Arena, resuming their original activities.

"Is there something wrong, sir?" Astrid asked hesitantly as they paused outside the Arena entrance, noticing how tense the chief was as he stared at the sky impatiently. Stoick finally seemed to remember she was there and glanced down, eyes shining with concern.

"I've told you how Hiccup's been visiting the cove lately to get some fresh air", Astrid nodded in response, hoping that Hiccup hadn't been getting worse since then. "Well… today he left for the cove, but he hasn't gotten back yet. He's more than an hour late." Astrid's eyes widened, worry shooting through her body as well.

"Do you want me to go check the cove and see what happened?" Stoick shook his head, his gaze hardened.

"No. I want you to lead me there; I don't want you going there alone." Astrid nodded stiffly and jogged back into the Arena to fetch her dragon. Stoick's ears perked as a familiar growl sounded from behind him. He turned to see Thornado making his way from the side of the arena, apparently just woken up from a nap. Stoick smiled gratefully at his dragon's timing, mounting its back just as Astrid flew out on Stormfly, a determined gleam in her eyes. Sharing a silent nod, Astrid led the way towards the cove, Stoick following as he glanced at the darkening sky worriedly.

* * *

Hiccup felt himself drifting back into consciousness with the ground rocking beneath him. He felt his stomach lurch unpleasantly at the constant swaying motion and groaned. He heard a gruff voice whisper "He's awake, sir" and his eyes flew open, the recent events hitting him in one wave. He struggled to sit up, but felt a hand hold him down. After realizing that the more he tried to wiggle out of the hand's grasp the more his head pounded and stomach churned, he settled for merely taking in his surroundings. The sky was a soft purple color, darkening rapidly but still light enough for him to make out the Outcasts surrounding him on the boat. He grimaced when Alvin's head finally came into his line of vision, leering down at him happily.

"Finally come to, eh?" Alvin chirruped, smile growing wider at the glare the boy shot him.

"Is this how you treat your guests, Alvin? No wonder people don't visit Outcast Island – your hospitality needs some major improvements." Alvin scowled at the sarcastic remark, but shook it off knowing that he had the upper hand.

"Don't you worry, boy. You'll be getting very special treatment that I reserved just for the Dragon Conqueror once we get to Outcast Island." Hiccup felt a shiver run down his spine at the words, but swallowed his fear and maintained a blank face. He refused to show Alvin any fear. He opened his mouth to shoot out another reply when his eyes glanced over a dark shape next to him. He hadn't noticed it at first because it seemed to camouflage with the dark side of the boat so easily… His eyes widened as he took in the mess of ropes from the bola and the dark hide of scales.

"Toothless! Bud, can you hear me?" Hiccup's stomach clenched when he received no response, feeling a surge of anger when he heard Alvin chuckling next to him. "What did you do to him?" Hiccup demanded, tone thick with accusation.

"Oh, it was quite a show! One minute my Outcasts are tackling the beast to the ground and the next it's sleeping like a baby." Hiccup felt his stomach drop, realizing the soldiers must have scratched at the weak spot under Toothless' chin. But how did they know? There was no way they could have had any idea of that weak spot… unless it was just by accident. Hiccup felt himself calm down slightly, fighting the urge to laugh at the Outcast's pure luck at taking down a Night Fury.

Alvin noticed the grin on the boy's face and scowled. "Laughin' at us, eh? I'll show you something to laugh about…" He yanked Hiccup up by the back of his shirt, causing the boy to yelp and wince in pain. He paused when he felt the familiar scratching of boat against rock and let out another cruel smile. The smile only grew when he noticed the immediate tensing of the boy's body and the slight fear in his eyes.

"Welcome to Outcast Island. You're in for a real treat, Dragon Conqueror." Alvin laughed as he shoved the boy off the boat onto the shore, the boy stumbling slightly before falling to his knees with a groan.

Hiccup's head was pounding more than ever, breaths coming out rapidly as he tried to alleviate the increasing pain. It didn't help when Alvin roughly grabbed him to his feet once more, prodding him to move forward. He turned back, wanting to go by Toothless' side but could no longer make out his dragon's familiar shape through the rapidly descending darkness. All he could do was stagger forward as Alvin eagerly led him further into the heart of Outcast Island.

* * *

Although it was getting darker by the second, Stoick could still make out his surroundings easily as they flew over the cove. His heart sank as he noticed it was completely empty, the pit of worry in his stomach growing as they descended. Stoick stepped down and glanced around restlessly, praying that he had just missed his son's small figure in the shadows. His eyes landed on an open area by the pond; the dirt was upturned wildly, indentations noticeably visible. He grew more suspicious as he noticed a few stray circular stones lying around seemingly only in that area. He bent down and picked one up, eyeing it carefully. No, these stones weren't from the cove. They seemed achingly familiar, but he couldn't quite place his finger on what they reminded him of.

He was jerked out of his stupor when he heard Astrid calling him. She was standing near a pile of boulders, her dragon anxiously sniffing the area and hissing. He walked over, squinting through the growing darkness as he neared Astrid.

"Sir, I don't know if this is any clue, but Stormfly found this in the rocks." She handed him a long and thin object, growing more worried the longer Hiccup wasn't in her sights. Stoick couldn't pinpoint the object exactly as it was now too dark to see clearly, but it felt like a sword scabbard. He tucked both the object and one of the stones under his arm as he called for Thornado, who lumbered over to his side immediately.

"It's too dark now. Let's get back. Thank you, Astrid." Their dragons, also a bit uneasy with how dark it was getting, flew as quickly as they could towards the village, landing there in record time. Stoick sent Astrid home as Thornado plodded back in the direction of the Arena, presumably to take another nap by the ocean.

Once inside, Stoick settled the table and set the two objects down to examine them more closely. He immediately recognized the familiar shape of a sword scabbard and turned it over, confused; this wasn't something from Berk. He looked closely for any recognizable markings and finally found one, his blood turning cold at the sight. Almost instantly, he realized where he had seen these familiar stones before – on bolas. He turned his gaze back towards the worn down Outcast symbol imprinted on the scabbard as dread washed over him. If Hiccup was on Outcast Island in Alvin's clutches… he stood up abruptly, knocking over his chair as fierce anger surged through his body. How dare Alvin have the _audacity_ to just come here and take his son? He wasn't getting away easily this time.


	8. Chapter 8

**(A/N: Oh man this one's lengthy. Yes I know some parts are weird and I'm sorryyyyy)**

**Chapter 8**

Every inch of Stoick burned to leave Berk immediately for Outcast Island, but he knew that would only make the chances of successfully rescuing Hiccup decrease substantially. He needed the other teens with their dragons as well – they would have to leave in the morning. He slammed a fist angrily on the table and sat there for the rest of the night, unable to sleep without his son safely in bed upstairs.

* * *

Hiccup felt like he'd been walking forever, head pounding so hard he could no longer focus on what was around him. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his vision, but it only served to make him more nauseated. Only the constant prodding and occasional shove from Alvin kept him stumbling forward until they finally reached their destination. He eyed the cell in front of him warily, cringing at the loud creaking noise the door made as he was shoved forward inside. Completely exhausted, he lurched towards the ground, groaning quietly in the hopes that Alvin wouldn't hear. He glanced up weakly at the Outcast leader as he slammed the door shut and chuckled menacingly, satisfied his plan had actually succeeded.

"I'll be seeing you in the morning, Dragon Conqueror. You will be showing me how to train these dragons, like it or not." Alvin purred as he walked away, a guard taking his place in front of the cell. Hiccup only stayed awake for a few seconds longer, vision gradually going dark as he surrendered to unconsciousness once more.

* * *

The night seemed to drag for Stoick; he had never been as eager for sunrise as he did at that moment, staring at the steadily lightening sky. He was driving himself crazy with fears of what Alvin might be doing to Hiccup. All through the night, he couldn't help but blame himself for this entire mess. He never should have let Hiccup out until he was completely recovered, but he hated watching his son in that miserable state from being cooped inside for days. He knew he couldn't blame Hiccup; Alvin was never supposed to be on this island in the first place. _Alvin_. His gaze immediately hardened at the name, a newfound hatred for the Outcast chief surging through him rapidly. Only then did he notice the sun beginning to peek out from the horizon, shedding a few timid rays upon the village. That was all Stoick needed; he immediately set course out the door and towards the Arena to gather Thornado and the other teens. They were getting Hiccup back today, whether Alvin liked it or not.

* * *

Hiccup blinked drowsily, breathing in deeply before choking on some dust and having another coughing fit. The motion jarred him awake, his energy somewhat replenished from the limited rest. His headache still lingered annoyingly, but he took his mind off of it as he took in his surroundings properly. His hands were still tied tightly behind his back, causing his shoulders to be extremely sore from lying on his side in the same position the entire night. After a couple tries, he managed to sit himself upright, panting from the physical exertion. With a sigh of relief, he noticed they didn't take off his prosthetic leg. Having no use of his arms was bad enough, losing the use of both of his feet would have made him basically immobile.

He sat there, evening out his breaths as his mind raced for a way to get out and back to Toothless when he heard footsteps making their way closer towards his cell. He looked up as Alvin sauntered into view, an Outcast soldier close behind. The guard stepped out of the way as Alvin eased the door open, making room for the soldier to enter. The soldier was holding a wooden cup of water and a few strips of cooked boar on a plate. Although he didn't show it, Hiccup's stomach immediately ached from the lack of food and he resisted the urge to crawl closer towards the meat. He tensed as the soldier stepped towards him and jerked him to his feet, but relaxed as he felt the rope around his arms loosening. His arms stung from the sudden movement as they fell back to his sides, but he kept his face neutral as he tried to get the feeling back into both of his arms.

Alvin eyed the boy amusedly, not surprised at the defiant glare the boy was shooting towards them. "Eat up, boy. You're going to need it before you start training my dragons. I'll be back in 5 minutes, no more." He threw one last taunting grin at the boy before he shut the door and walked off towards the Arena, preparing it for the first dragon to be trained.

As much as he hated Alvin, Hiccup knew what he said was true. Begrudgingly, he shuffled forward and drank some of the water, thankful to have the cool liquid relieve his dry throat. He forced himself to eat the meat strips slowly, not wanting to get a stomachache. As bland as they were, he was thankful that he finally had something in his system. With the pounding in his head dulled, he sat back and continued plotting a way to escape and find Toothless until Alvin arrived, smirking at the emptied cup and plate.

"Time for our first lesson!" Alvin cackled as he opened the cell door once more, this time stepping inside and grabbing Hiccup by the collar of his shirt, dragging him outside the confinements of the cell. Hiccup shook his hand off once they were in the hallway, staring icily at the Outcast chief as two other soldiers flanked the boy from behind, effectively preventing any source of escape. With nowhere to go but forward, Hiccup let Alvin lead him towards the Arena, eyes narrowing in determination as they began to walk. Oh he'd train the dragons, just not the way Alvin wants them to be trained.

* * *

As he neared the Academy, Stoick noticed Astrid was already standing by the entrance, seemingly searching for someone outside. Her eyes landed on Stoick as he neared and she stepped forward, a worried look in her eyes.

"Sir… Did you find…?" Stoick shook his head, causing that worried look in her eyes to grow even more apparent.

"Gather the others and their dragons, would you?" She nodded fervently and ran back inside the Academy, yelling at the teens to meet her at the entrance before she dragged them there herself. Within seconds, the teens were positioned outside next to their dragons, waiting as Stoick returned from the back of the Arena after finding Thornado. He eyed them all sternly, hoping that they would understand the gravity of the situation.

"Hiccup is on Outcast Island." Astrid and Fishlegs' eyes widened in horror while the remaining three stared blankly, slightly confused.

"Wait, why would anyone want to go to Outcast Island? That place stinks!" Tuffnut pointed out unhelpfully. Before Stoick could respond, Astrid turned towards Tuffnut, eyes flashing with irritation.

"He was kidnapped, you morons!" The twins and Snotlout gaped at Astrid, finally feeling the tense atmosphere surrounding the chief. They immediately straightened and stared at Stoick, waiting for him to speak, fear shining their eyes. Whether it was fear for Hiccup or fear for their safety in rescuing Hiccup, he couldn't tell.

Stoick nodded gravely, "I want you all to come with me to Outcast Island and help me find him. They may outnumber us, but with our dragons they don't stand a chance." The teens nodded and mounted their dragons, no one in the mood for jokes anymore. Stoick took a deep breath and then mounted Thornado as well, leading the teens off of Berk and towards Outcast Island.

* * *

Surprisingly quickly, they had arrived at the Outcast Arena. Before Hiccup could do anything, he was thrown inside, the door slamming shut behind him. He shook off the emerging lightheadedness and glanced around the Arena disdainfully. The walls were crumbling nearly beyond repair, scorch marks from dragon fire staining nearly every inch of the Arena. The rattling of a lock opening shook Hiccup out of his trance as a Monstrous Nightmare burst through, snarling viciously. Hiccup sighed, somewhat relieved. He'd tamed one before, he could do it again. Hopefully, he could do it discreetly enough so that the Outcasts couldn't figure out his tactics.

The Nightmare glared around the Arena, spitting a wave of fire towards a group of Outcasts watching from above. They yelped and dived out of the way just in time. After a couple seconds of some more growing and fire breathing, it finally seemed to notice the small boy standing a couple feet in front of him. Eyes shrinking to slits, it hissed threateningly and made its way closer to the human, ready to blast it. That is, until the human's scent hit the dragon; it wasn't the foul stench that it usually caught from those larger dirty humans. This one smelled of the ocean and… dragons? It ceased its growling and paused, realizing the human hadn't made a move to attack it like the others had.

Hiccup caught the dragon's hesitation and knew now was the moment. He took a hesitant step forward, freezing as the Nightmare immediately began to growl warningly, eyes shrinking once more.

"It's okay, I won't hurt you. I'm here to help." Hiccup whispered soothingly, speaking only loud enough for the Nightmare to hear. The dragon quieted and stared at the human curiously; it had never seen a human like this before. Hiccup held his breath as he averted his eyes towards the ground and lifted a hand slowly in front of him, waiting.

The Nightmare was perplexed, unsure of how to react. Its pupils dilated, surprised at how the human broke eye contact, putting his life in the dragon's claws. It had become so used to defending itself and attacking its captors that it hadn't been exposed to such trust and kindness in a long time. This human who smelled of dragons… he liked him and trusted him as well. And with that, it closed its eyes and pressed its snout into the human's hand.

Hiccup breathed out shakily, relieved that it worked. He rubbed the Nightmare's snout comfortingly, eliciting a happy purr from the dragon. Now he just had to hope the second part of his plan would work.

Alvin was baffled; from all he'd seen, the boy had merely walked up to the dragon and held up a hand! That was impossible, his soldiers could barely look the beast in the eye without getting torched! His eyes narrowed; Hiccup must have done something secretly to gain that dragon's trust, there was no other way around it. He began to turn, making his way downstairs to end this useless session when a soldier stopped him, eyeing the Arena floor fearfully. Whipping around, Alvin glanced back down at the ground to see Hiccup whispering to the Nightmare, inching towards the neck of the dragon. He growled, realizing exactly what the Dragon Conqueror was trying to pull and began pushing his way downstairs.

"Hey buddy, I'm stuck here and want to get out too. I can help you escape, if you help me. Am I allowed to ride you?" Hiccup whispered delicately, smiling as the Nightmare nodded subtly, lowering his neck for the human to get on. Swiftly, he mounted the Nightmare as it began to spread its tattered wings, prepared to launch towards the ceiling. The Nightmare only made it a couple feet off the ground before a bola struck the dragon, entangling it within the ropes and sending the pair crashing back to the ground. The dragon roared angrily, seeing the familiar sight of the Outcasts rushing towards him. Hiccup tried to untangle himself from the bola, his head still ringing from the collision. He bit his lip as his headache began to make a reappearance, shaking his head in the hopes that it will go away.

Suddenly, a hand roughly dragged him out of the ropes and away from the dragon, dropping him to the ground with a thud. Hiccup remained collapsed on his knees, breathing heavily. His headache was definitely back now. He shut his eyes, trying to tune out the yelling and roaring around him as he attempted to ease the pounding in his head. He groaned as another hand dragged him back to his feet, suppressing a shudder when he heard Alvin's voice hissing next to his ear.

"You're going to regret doing that, Dragon Conqueror." Hiccup didn't care what threats Alvin made, he just wanted to lay down and rest his head. Leaving the Outcasts and the Nightmare behind in the Arena, Alvin nearly dragged Hiccup back towards his cell. Hiccup kept as quiet as he could, not willing to let out any noises of pain Alvin to hear; he couldn't show any weakness. He nearly cried out in relief as the cell came into view, knowing that he would be left alone to sleep there for the night, even if it was uncomfortable. Alvin gave one final shove, sending the boy tumbling down on all fours onto the cell floor.

Hiccup remained on his hands and knees, shutting his eyes in pain as the sudden contact with the ground worsened his headache. He felt multiple coughs itching in his throat again but he stubbornly shoved it down successfully this time, focusing on his breathing. It took him a minute to realize that Alvin hadn't left the cell. He was too tired to lift his head and opted for staring at the Outcast chief's boots, wondering what idle threat he'd spew this time.

"Think you've outsmarted me, eh boy? You're on my island now, Hiccup. Don't you forget that." He snarled, almost beastlike. He moved to seal the cell door; this time however, Alvin remained inside locked in with Hiccup. Eyes still locked on the boy, he reached for his belt and took a step forward.

Hiccup had barely formulated a response to the threat when the whip came down.


	9. Chapter 9

**(A/N: Guess who went to see HTTYD2 for the fifth time after converting a friend of mine into the fandom? One would think that I would tire of a movie after watching it more than two times. But there are too many good things about this moviee!)**

**Chapter 9**

The flight towards Outcast Island was a silent one, even the twins holding off on their bickering amidst the tense atmosphere. Astrid focused nowhere but ahead, gaze hardened in determination as they soared across the waters. Stoick was no different, feverishly scanning the horizon for signs of land. His eye caught a small Outcast boat bobbing across the rough waters underneath them, a telltale sign that they were near the island. Sure enough, he glanced up and felt his grip tighten on Thornado's saddle, eyeing the sharp jutting rocks that surrounded Outcast Island with disdain.

"Get ready, they'll surely attack us once we're sighted." Stoick commanded over his shoulder, the teens nodding silently as they steadied their dragons, bracing for any incoming threat. As if on cue, shouts arose from the shores of the island as bolas flew in their direction. Dodging them were simple enough; Astrid immediately dived towards them, having Stormfly launch her tail spikes towards the soldiers. With a yelp, the Outcasts jumped away from their bola launchers as the spikes sank into the ground at the feet, ducking behind some rocks. Fishlegs immediately followed afterwards, telling Meatlug to fire at the weapons, effortlessly disintegrating one of the four launchers.

"Come on Hookfang, let's show them our secret move!" Snotlout retorted arrogantly, directing Hookfang into a perfect circle in the sky before firing a powerful blast of fire point blank at another one of the launchers, blasting it to bits. Snotlout whooped and hollered, proud that they had finally landed the shot perfectly. Astrid rolled her eyes.

"We don't have time to be messing around, Snotlout!" She snapped irritably.

"Hey, I destroyed one of their weapons! I'm helping!" He pointed out, not at all fazed by her harsh tone.

The twins flew towards the ground, aiming for the remaining two launchers, beginning to argue once more.

"Alright, Barf! You're up first!" Ruffnut called out, excitement in her voice. She loved destroying things!

"Why do _you_ get to go first? I want to go first!" Tuffnut cut in stubbornly, swinging Belch's head to the side against Barf.

"You're such a moron, Barf needs to spray the gas before you can light it!" Ruffnut lashed back, annoyed.

"Oh… Right." Ruffnut groaned but proceeded to have Barf fill the area surrounding the two operating launchers with green Zippleback gas. They veered back around as Tuffnut directed Belch to light the gas, efficiently burning the remaining launchers to a crisp.

Stoick, who had been watching from the air, nodded in approval as he directed Thornado onto the ground, not dismounting as he watched the Outcasts step away from behind the boulders and unsheathe their swords, surrounding the group. He glared at the four soldiers distastefully, knowing he alone could take them out easily.

"You're outnumbered and outmatched. Stand down and let us pass." He barked coldly. The Outcasts hesitated, knowing he was right and eyed each other uncertainly.

"Looks like we have some guests! Glad to see our island has become a popular destination!" The all too recognizable voice caused the teens to tense, searching for the source.

Alvin appeared as he walked past the boulders, his soldiers parting for him as he made his way to the center of the group. His eyes shined with malice, a cruel smile plastered on his face. Stoick's eyes narrowed in hatred; every part of him itched to dive at the Outcast chief and give him a piece of his mind, but he controlled himself before he spoke again.

"Where is Hiccup?" Stoick spat out, not wanting to waste any more time chatting.

"I don't know, where could he be?" Alvin taunted, grinning even wider at the anger burning in the Berkian chief's eyes.

Stoick's eyes flashed with resentment. "Surrender and let us through right now, or Thor help me I will tear down this islan-"

"Whoever said he was on this island?" Alvin cut in, chuckling as Stoick paused, eyeing him suspiciously. A few seconds of silence fell upon the group, prompting Alvin to continue.

"You don't take me for a fool, do you Stoick? I knew you would come sooner or later, so why would I keep the great Dragon Conqueror here so easily for you to take back?"

Stoick sucked in a breath, eyes widening in disbelief. His mind flashed back to the lone Outcast boat that they had passed on the way to the island, a wave of dread washing over him. He heard the teens gasping quietly as well; they had noticed the boat too, but hadn't given it a second thought as they were too focused on reaching the island.

Stoick briskly turned towards the teens, suppressing the urge to attack all the Outcasts violently.

"We need to find that boat." The teens nodded and urged their dragons upwards back into the skies, Stoick following close behind without sparing the Outcasts another glance.

As the dragons and their riders slowly grew smaller into the gray sky, one of the Outcasts nervously eyed the chief, confused.

"But sir? The boy isn't on a boat."

Alvin snickered amusedly, still watching the shrinking figures in the sky. "I know."

* * *

Pain. Hiccup never thought he could have felt as much pain as he did right now. After Alvin had left the cell, he had remained on the ground lying on his side, too weak to move. Even his shallow breathing was enough to send waves of pain across his body. He knew he was bleeding; he could make out the blood even against the dark rock floor. Alvin had only whipped him ten times before a soldier called him out, but it felt like he had been whipped a hundred times over. The loss of blood had made his headache worse, the pounding reverberating in his head painfully. He coughed once but immediately cried out, the jerking motion irritating the wounds on his back. He needed to find Toothless and get out of here, but his body refused to cooperate with him. He felt the strings of sleep tugging at him once more, and he gladly gave in, unable to deal with any more of this agony awake.

* * *

Stoick had only followed the riders for a minute before brining Thornado to a halt, glancing over his shoulder to eye Outcast Island, still clear in view. Astrid, who had been travelling next to him, noticed the pause and stopped Stormfly as well, watching the chief questioningly.

"Sir…?" Stoick turned to meet Astrid's eyes, lips pursed.

"Lead the other teens and find the boat. I'm going back." Stoick didn't trust Alvin; he knew Alvin wouldn't give away Hiccup's location that easily, even if it was to taunt him. Hiccup might still be on the island and he wasn't going to risk leaving him there longer than he already had been.

Astrid's eyes widened as she opened her mouth to object to him going alone before Stoick cut her off harshly.

"That's an order, Astrid." Astrid paused before nodding slowly and leading Stormfly away to catch up with the teens. Stoick watched their retreating figure for a couple seconds before he directed Thornado towards the unsupervised rear of the island. Hiccup was on Outcast Island, he could feel it.


	10. Chapter 10

**(A/N: Sigh I don't really like this one but here, slightly longer chapter for you guys! :D)**

**Chapter 10**

Toothless grew more and more frustrated with the rusty chains restraining him. He needed to get out and find Hiccup! He knew his rider was already in a bad state before they were ambushed, and he would only get worse in this horribly smelling place. All he could do was pull at the chains vigorously, hoping for something to change. Suddenly, he froze from his fit of anger, ears perking up at the sound of footsteps. Two Outcasts crept their way in front of the cell, eyeing the Night Fury fearfully. Toothless narrowed his eyes, growling threateningly at the approaching figures.

"You feed it."

"No, you!"

"I'm older than you! Just put the fish in front, take the muzzle off and run!"

The two soldiers continued to quarrel as Toothless eyed them warily. His pupils dilated slightly upon noticing the small plate of fish in one of the soldier's hands, suddenly remembering how hungry he was. Hopefully it was some cod or salmon… He was snapped out of his trance at the slow creaking of the cell door, as the smaller Outcast soldier carefully placed one foot past the entrance into the cell. He instantly stiffened as Toothless began growling quietly, crouched down in a defensive position.

"Don't worry! It's chained up, there's nothing the beast can do." The other Outcast called out unconvincingly as he slowly backed further away from the cell, fearing the worst.

With a gulp, the soldier stepped closer and closer towards the Night Fury, ignoring the growls that were increasing in volume. He set the plate onto the ground and straightened up, fear shining in his eyes as he stared at the riled up dragon in front of him. With a deep breath, he quickly unfastened the muzzle and frantically set course for the cell entrance, letting out a yelp as a plasma blast instantaneously exploded near his feet. Once outside, the other soldier quickly locked the cell door, running after his comrade towards the dungeon exit.

Toothless watched the now empty hallway, satisfied at their departure. He leaned down and cautiously sniffed the fish, deeming it edible enough. It was tuna, not one of his favorites but he would still eat them. The dish was cleared in seconds. Toothless scanned the plate hungrily and perked up to notice a small bit of fish had fallen off the side of the plate on the opposite end. With a grumble, he realized he couldn't quite reach his target, these irritating chains keeping him attached as close to the wall as possible. He tugged at the chains with a fierce determination; he was going to get that piece of fish if it was the last thing he did. Well, escaping and finding Hiccup would obviously come after this, but as of now he was only focused on his lunch.

Then he heard it.

Toothless paused in his battle with the chains, ears perked. It was a sound so indistinct that an Outcast wouldn't have paid a second thought to it had he been near the cell, but to Toothless it was the greatest thing he could've heard right now.

The chains were beginning to break.

* * *

Stoick landed silently on a cliff near the back of the Outcast village. He began to set course in search of the dungeon when he stalled. He glanced down towards Thornado; he couldn't bring him, he was too big to sneak around with.

"I need you to stay here, Thornado." The dragon snorted indignantly, clearly disagreeing with such a thought.

"Please, I'll find Hiccup and Toothless and get back as soon as I can. Give me until the sun sets." Thornado silently eyed his rider before reluctantly backing towards the cliff edge once more. Stoick smiled gratefully and began running towards the village with renewed determination.

Sneaking around was simple enough – the village was practically deserted, everyone either stationed at a guarding post or settled inside their homes. They had no reason to be wandering outside; the island was so…dull and dreary. Stoick slowed as he neared the Outcast Arena, sighting the few soldiers positioned by the entrance. His eyes fell upon a side entrance where only one guard was stationed, silently making his way behind houses as he crept closer towards the lone Outcast.

The soldier guarding the side door leading to the jail cells was barely doing his job – he had been assigned there since yesterday morning, and hadn't been allowed to move since. Sleep was rapidly taking over, and the Outcast was hardly putting up a fight against it. He was so caught up in his war with consciousness that he didn't hear the muted footsteps slowly inching closer. The blow to the head came so quickly he didn't have a chance to cry out, slumping forward as Stoick caught him before he hit the ground.

Stoick fumbled for the keys on the soldier's waist and hastily unlocked the side door, praying that it didn't make a noise as it opened. Thankfully, the little noise the door made was muffled by the loud laughter coming from the other soldiers stationed around the front entrance. He couldn't believe how poorly guarded this place was, although he was grateful for it. Stoick sighed and carried the unconscious soldier with him, searching for an abandoned area to leave him in. It was then he realized where he was, standing in the hallway lined with numerous cells. The Outcast dungeon.

Without a second thought, he quietly opened one cell and laid the soldier down on the floor inside. He stepped back out and locked the door as he peered into the neighboring cells. Was Hiccup in one of these? The dim light made it difficult to see the dark corners, but as far as he knew, they were empty.

He snuck down the hallway silently, eyes scanning each individual cell he passed, heart growing heavier with each empty chamber. Had Alvin been telling the truth? Was Hiccup truly on that boat?

His eye fell on a slightly brighter area ahead, coming to a halt as he noticed another guard stationed in front of one of the cells. Could it be…? His eyes narrowed in conviction as he began to charge the soldier with every intention to tackle him to the ground.

The immensely bored soldier was drawn out of his stupor at the sound of rapidly falling footsteps. He glanced up drowsily to his left and felt his breath catch, watching a large figure come barreling in his direction. Was he dreaming? He threw his arms in front to shield his face instinctively, but proved no match as Stoick came crashing down on the soldier, knocking the breath out of him.

Stoick easily held the man down, ignoring the weak efforts of the soldier to get him off. But as he glanced up to scan the guarded cell, he felt his heart stop. His hold on the soldier weakened, enough for the Outcast to scramble out from underneath and sprint for the door. His brain yelled at him to chase down the man before he raised the alarm, but any rational thought fled his mind at the sight of his son.

* * *

Hiccup had only managed to fall asleep for an hour, jolting back into consciousness when the sudden relaxation had caused another rush of pain up his back. He kept his eyes shut, focusing on keeping as still as possible. His arms were aching terribly, and his headache was the worst it had ever been. He drew in a shaky breath, surprised at how little air he managed to take in. Stubbornly, he tried to take in a bigger breath, but immediately coughed as a result. A low groan slipped out as he felt the wounds on his back begin to open once more from the jerking motion. He heard noises abruptly filling the hallway, but everything seemed muffled over the pounding in his head.

For a second, everything was silent. He was relieved at the lull in sound, wishing he could block out everything about this place. He just wanted to forget it all. The only thing keeping him from completely giving up was the thought of Toothless still trapped somewhere here; he needed to make sure Toothless was safe, at least.

"Hiccup?"

That voice... It was familiar, but he couldn't think properly, unable to pinpoint the owner of the voice.

"Hiccup, son! Oh son, I'm here. I'm so sorry."

With a start of recognition, he remembered. Dad? No, it couldn't be. He couldn't be here. He _shouldn't_ be here! He opened his eyes, trying to squint through the pain to locate the speaker. It was useless; everything was blurred for some reason and he laid his head back towards the ground, completely drained. His dad's voice kept drifting through his mind, and every part of him wanted to tell him that he was fine, to stop worrying, but he couldn't move. This was a dream, a cruel trick his mind was playing on him. He closed his eyes once more, turning his attention back towards ignoring his piercing headache and the burning wounds on his back. He just wanted to go to sleep.

* * *

Stoick had almost missed Hiccup on the ground, such a small figure half-concealed by the shadows. At first, he wasn't even sure it was his son.

"Hiccup?" He called out hesitantly. But the longer he stared, the more obvious it became that it was indeed Hiccup. His hands were tied behind his back, face scrunched up in pain. He felt anger stirring inside of him again, morphing into intense hatred for Alvin. Alvin would regret the day he decided to set foot back on Berk for his own selfish reasons. A weak moan from Hiccup snapped him out of his daze, eyes whipping back towards his son on the ground.

"Hiccup, son! Oh son, I'm here. I'm so sorry." He saw Hiccup beginning to stir at his voice, feeling relief coursing through him with the thought that his son seemed alright. He began to reach for the keys that had dropped to the ground during his tackle session with the soldier when something stopped him. How had he missed it? There was so much of it. So much blood on the ground by Hiccup.

It was only then he noticed the blood on Hiccup's tunic. It seemed to be creeping down from his back, but the fur vest hid any further evidence. He couldn't believe it. Alvin wouldn't stoop that low… would he? He was overcome with a staggering amount of malice towards the Outcast chief and sudden fear for Hiccup's life. Losing that much blood when he was sick could only be life-threatening. Hiccup had gone silent once more, only worsening his suspicions.

His hands shaking, Stoick fumbled for the keys and inserted it into the cell keyhole. Cursing under his breath, he realized that none of the keys were designed to open Hiccup's cell. That guard must have had it.

"Well, well, well. Nice of you to join the party, Stoick!" Stoick's blood ran cold at the voice, feeling nothing but the urge to rip the owner of the voice apart.

Alvin paused a few feet away from where Stoick was kneeling in front of Hiccup's cell. His soldiers flanked him obediently, weapons ready to use in case the Berkian chief were to strike. With an amused grin, he watched Stoick slowly stand, glaring at him with such animosity that even the soldiers stepped back slightly.

"You… I should kill you right now." Stoick hissed ferociously, trembling with rage.

Alvin grinned even wider. "What did I do wrong, Stoick? The boy's just like you, stubborn to no ends. Only way to change his mind is with a little punishment, don't you think?" Stoick's eyes flashed with fury.

With a terrifying roar, Stoick charged at Alvin, sights set to kill. Alvin chuckled and stepped back, his soldiers immediately forming a rank in front of their chief. Stoick managed to take down many of the soldiers, but he found himself helplessly outnumbered as soldiers tackled him from all directions.

Alvin laughed tauntingly as he stepped in front of Stoick, now on the ground as the soldiers restrained him. One soldier held a sword to Stoick's throat threateningly while many others had to fight to hold the Berkian chief's arms behind his back. Stoick continued struggling, knowing it was useless but refusing to go down without a fight. He glared as Alvin drew nearer, hating how close the Outcast leader was and being unable to even take him down. Alvin flashed another menacing grin, eyes shining with malice.

"Welcome to Outcast Island, Stoick."


	11. Chapter 11

**(A/N: I've been listening to the HTTYD2 soundtrack 24/7 and I want John Powell to win an Oscar for this score so bad omg. That or HTTYD2 gets an Oscar for Best Animated Feature cause honestly, that animation was on point. Sorry for the irrelevant rambling, here's a chapter to make up for it.)**

**Chapter 11**

Hiccup couldn't sleep. It was too painful, although staying awake wasn't any better. He was sure that if his headache could get any worse, his head would explode. Every part of him longed to move, to stretch out his sore muscles, but it took too much effort. With a sigh, he settled for listening to the steady pounding in his head, willing to grasp onto anything that was constant to distract him. A part of him worried about Toothless, wondering if he was okay. Of course he wasn't okay, he was on Outcast Island! He needed to get out soon.

The thudding of footsteps echoing through the hall shook him out of his reverie, as he glanced up and watched a lone guard walk up to the cell. He flinched at the abnormally loud way the cell creaked, shrinking away slightly as the guard stepped inside towards him. A small gasp of pain escaped his mouth as the Outcast roughly dragged Hiccup to his feet, prodding him forward. Hiccup's legs nearly collapsed, unused to bearing such weight. The guard showed no remorse, merely pressing against the boy's back more firmly. Hiccup hissed in pain, the sudden pressure against the wounds on his back an unpleasant feeling. Regardless, he managed to stumble forward towards what he assumed was the Outcast Arena, even if it was painfully slowly.

* * *

Stoick's mind raced with nothing but the thought of beating Alvin to a pulp in any way possible, fiercely tugging at the chains that bound him. The Outcast soldiers had to wrap Stoick with many more chains then normal due to the Berkian chief's large stature, making the idea of escaping even more difficult. He was so focused on his thoughts and Alvin that he almost missed the sound of footsteps approaching his cell. His eyes narrowed, ready to snap at whoever approached when he heard it. The familiar sound of a footstep followed by the metal clanking of a prosthetic. Stoick immediately stiffened, eyes widening in disbelief as he stared into the dimly lighted hallway, anxiously hoping that it really was who he thought it was.

* * *

After a couple of steps, Hiccup had gotten back into the simple pattern of walking. Albeit each step sent another wave of pain coursing up his back, he managed to endure it silently as they made their way through the dungeon hall.

"Hiccup?"

Hiccup instantly came to a halt, thinking he had merely imagined it, but still whipped his head in the direction of the voice he'd known all his life. His eyes landed on his dad, barely visible in the shadows of the cell he was standing next to, but it was his dad. He pushed down the sudden happiness at seeing him again and was filled with dread. Why was he here, locked up?

"D-dad? What… Why…" Hiccup began stammering out the storm of questions that were building up when the soldier impatiently jabbed at his back once more, urging him forward. The sudden shock of pain had Hiccup crying out, dropping to his knees. He could barely recollect himself before the soldier harshly yanked him back up to his feet once more. He stifled another groan as he heard his dad angrily shout something at the guard. No, this wasn't right. His dad isn't supposed to be here. He shook his head in disbelief, wanting to delay his departure outside as long as he could.

* * *

Stoick couldn't stop the rush of relief he felt at the sight of his son. He looked terrible; he knew Hiccup was feeling terrible, but was trying not to show it. Stoick felt his heart churn as he realized Hiccup hadn't seen him. He needed to talk to him.

"Hiccup?"

He watched his son freeze and immediately meet his gaze, disbelief and shock shining in his eyes.

"D-dad? What… Why…" Hiccup was stuttering like no other, sounding like he'd been caught sneaking out with Toothless rather than talking to him in the Outcast dungeons.

Stoick had the sudden urge to laugh, utterly grateful his son seemed better than he had feared. The joy was cut short as the guard ruthlessly shoved Hiccup again, this time causing him to fall to his knees at the sudden disturbance. Anger spiked through him as he glared daggers at the Outcast, who was now jerking Hiccup back onto his feet.

"Don't touch him!" Stoick barked sharply, eyeing his son for any other possible injuries he'd missed before. He didn't notice any other serious wounds, although the dried blood near Hiccup's shoulders and the sides of his shirt spoke a different story. Hiccup looked baffled, shaking his head as if unable to believe he was in the cell in front of him. Stoick's heart began to race as Hiccup was led away from the cell, away from him.

"Hiccup, don't worry! I'll get you out of here before you know it. Just be careful son!" He called out anxiously, hoping his son was able to hear him. He noticed Hiccup glance briefly over his shoulder once more, a good enough sign of confirmation. When he heard the door slam shut once more, he felt his resolve harden; he was getting out of here.

* * *

Funny enough, Toothless was thinking the same thing as Stoick. The only thing different was that the Night Fury's chains had weakened substantially. It took once last immense tug when the chains finally broke free, clattering to the ground loudly. Thankfully, the guards hadn't arrived yet to hear it. Toothless knew he couldn't leave until the guards arrived, so he remained where he was, waiting for any sound of footsteps. Sure enough, it only took a couple of minutes before the sound of footfalls filled the hallway, followed by some nervous mumbling. Toothless tensed, spreading his wings slightly to shield the fallen chains, growling angrily. The same two guards from before soon came into view, stiffening at the sight of the threatening creature.

"It's your turn this time."

The larger of the group hesitated, clutching the plate of fish fearfully. He really didn't want to go inside.

"I don't want to."

"Oh come on! Just open the door a little and slide the plate towards it. It'll be too hungry to attack."

But Toothless wasn't hungry at all; he wanted to get out. His pupils narrowed as the soldier slowly unlocked the door, tensing as the door creaked open. Before the Outcast could slide the plate inside, Toothless shot a plasma blast at their feet, making them scramble back fearfully. That was enough of an opening; Toothless shot forward, running through the open cell door and pouncing on the larger soldier. Said soldier was now whimpering frantically, mumbling incoherent sentences in his panic. The smaller Outcast flew onto his feet to run only to get smacked backwards into the cell by Toothless' tail. Toothless growled warningly before carefully biting only the fabric of the large Outcast's tunic and chucking him into the cell as well. All rational thought leaving them, the soldiers shut the door and locked it, wanting to create as much of a barrier between them and the Night Fury as possible. Toothless snorted indignantly, before lifting his head to catch Hiccup's scent. Surprisingly, he could smell his rider close by. He burst into a run, following the scent as best he could to reach Hiccup as soon as possible.

* * *

Hiccup's mind was still reeling from the previous encounter. When had his dad been captured too? He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he didn't realize they'd reached the door leading outside of the dungeon. The door was thrown open, the sudden light painfully blinding. His headache flared angrily, liking the comforts of the darkness better. He focused on steadying his breaths, trying to ignore the occasional pains from the constant nudging of the guard as they approached the Arena. His gaze steeled when he saw Alvin waiting for him at the entrance.

"Ready for lesson number two? Remember what happens if you try anything funny, boy." Alvin chuckled ominously, enjoying the heated glare the boy was shooting at him. He admired how the boy was still so defiant even in such a state.

"Anything funny? Why Alvin, I tamed the dragon like you asked! I don't see what the problem was, unless I missed the memo for another request you had." Hiccup couldn't help the smirk grow on his face as Alvin scowled at the remark. The soldier behind him cut loose the bonds restraining Hiccup's arms and before he could make a move, he was shoved into the Arena, gates slamming down behind him.

His arms were burning painfully, unused to going back to its regular position after being tied back for so long. He moved them slowly, trying to get the feeling back into his limbs, wincing at the sharp pains burning through his body. Only then did he notice how bright the Arena was at this time of day, the intense sun only worsening his headache. He shut his eyes, hands cradling his head while the latch for the dragon cell was lifted.

Hiccup didn't open his eyes as the dragon burst through, already recognizing the familiar squawks that belonged to a Deadly Nadder. From the sounds of it, the dragon was extremely upset. His brain yelled at him to open his eyes and tame it before things got out of hand, but even opening his eyes seemed agonizing. He squinted as best he could through the bright rays illuminating the area, barely distinguishing the familiar shape of the Nadder haphazardly making its way towards him. The distinct noise of its tail spikes preparing to launch snapped him out of his daze, adrenaline coursing through him as he watched the spikes fly in his direction. With a yelp, he immediately dove out of the way, waves of pain falling over him from the harsh movement.

Hiccup remained there half-standing, with his hands on his knees as he tried to even out the pain with uneven breaths. The wounds on his back were stinging angrily, some obviously reopened from the bending motion. He thought he heard Alvin yelling something, but the pounding in his head easily drowned out any other noise. He needed to stop the dragon, but he was so tired. He could already see the sides of his vision going black, and although he tried to shake it off, it was too much. With a groan, he collapsed to the ground, succumbing to unconsciousness once more.

* * *

Alvin watched the scene in disbelief from above. He hadn't counted on the boy fainting; he needed him alive! The Nadder was rapidly charging the fallen figure as Alvin shut his eyes, fearing the worst. His eyes flew back open when he heard cries coming from outside the Arena, followed by the fearful calls of "Night Fury!" His eyes fell upon the Arena entrance just as the gate exploded, scattering wood everywhere. Alvin peered through the smoke and was surprised to see a Night Fury tackling the Nadder before it reached the boy. A short struggle ensued, but the Night Fury finally managed to throw the Nadder off it into a wall.

To his amazement, the Night Fury immediately ran towards his fallen rider and curled around him protectively, positioned on top of the boy to shield it from any further threats. The Nadder squawked angrily at the pair, but made no further moves to approach them.

Alvin smirked, impressed at the bond the Dragon Conqueror had made with the legendary Night Fury. "How touching. Capture that Night Fury, men! Get it back in its cell!" He barked, his soldiers immediately running into the Arena and surrounding the dragon and its rider, bolas at hand.

* * *

Toothless growled ferociously, as if daring the men to come near. He could easily take the men out on his own, but he refused to move away from Hiccup. Hiccup had gotten worse; he was able to smell his rider's blood even before he reached the Arena. No, he wasn't going to risk leaving him alone again. His eyes narrowed as he bared his teeth at the approaching soldiers. Unfortunately, things didn't look good for them.


	12. Chapter 12

**(A/N: Whee extra long chapter for you guys! Nearly 3,000 words! This story's actually almost over, so I'm going to be starting another one - I'll still be updating Reunion, though!**

**I NEED YOUR OPINION ON THIS. My idea for a new story is a compilation of one-shots of Hiccup and life on Berk shortly before the events of HTTYD2. So like, one-shots of how Hiccup's braids originated, his map, his flightsuit, all that jazz. Would anyone actually read this? No? Maybe?)**

**Chapter 12**

There were too many of them. Toothless glared around at the numerous Outcasts surrounding him, all closing in cautiously. He shot a plasma blast at the feet of one of the soldiers, a warning not to come any closer. Although that soldier yelped in alarm and stumbled backwards, the other soldiers remained undeterred as they advanced. Toothless sneaked a quick glance down towards Hiccup, who was still unconscious on the ground. He could smell fresh blood on his rider, worrying him even more as he wrapped his wings closer into himself, trying to shield Hiccup more effectively. The sound of swords unsheathing drew his focus back towards the enemy as he lifted his head and snarled angrily, building up another plasma blast to fire. He was just about to release another shot when an array of spikes suddenly flew down from above, directly in front of the nearest soldier. Taken aback, the soldiers stiffened and reflexively backed away, surprised at the sudden ambush. Toothless immediately felt the gas in his mouth dying down, disappearing in his shock as he whipped his head upwards along with the other soldiers.

A Deadly Nadder was flying just above the chains that sealed off the ceiling of the Arena. Toothless' pupils dilated when he spotted Astrid on the back of the Nadder, peering down with a determined glare.

* * *

Astrid was fuming; it was one thing to find out Hiccup was kidnapped by the Outcasts, it was another to get tricked into following some old fishing boat that was completely empty for miles. She hated how easily Alvin had fooled them, silently amazed that Stoick was correct in his assumption to turn back for the island. She scanned the Arena ground feverishly, but could only recognize Toothless amidst the scrambling Outcast soldiers.

"Fishlegs!" She commanded briskly. The boy instantly flew Meatlug in front of the others, firing a powerful fireball into the chains, shattering them enough for the Dragon Riders to get inside. By now, most of the soldiers had forgotten all about their orders on capturing the Night Fury and were diving for shelter. A few obediently remained, too afraid to defy Alvin's order and positioned themselves in ready position for the approaching dragons.

Snotlout was the first to fly into the Arena, Hookfang touching down on the ground as the Nightmare glared threateningly at the soldiers. "You want a piece of this?" Snotlout shouted, smirking as the remaining soldiers frantically shook their heads and ran off with a yell. The other dragons soon landed afterwards, backing towards Toothless to ward off any other threats.

* * *

Alvin growled as he watched his soldiers scatter towards the destroyed gate, not once looking back. He didn't expect those kids to be back so soon – the boat should have been miles away! Then again, they _were_ on dragons. He glared at the group once more before turning around and storming down the stairs. He knew he couldn't face them without any soldiers for protection; he needed to gather his men before it was too late.

* * *

Astrid hopped off of Stormfly and made a beeline for the Night Fury. He was positioned a little awkwardly, looking as if it was trying to hug itself while crouching down. She slowed as she grew closer, noticing how tense Toothless still was.

"Hey, Toothless. What's wrong?" Toothless eyed Astrid and relaxed slightly, relieved that someone friendly was finally in sight. Astrid drew closer, holding out a hand hesitantly, unsure of how the dragon would react. Toothless easily responded and placed his head into her open palm, cooing happily. She burst into a weak grin, still eyeing the Arena warily. The place was now practically deserted for some reason. They needed to get out of here before something worse happened.

"We need to go." Astrid called over her shoulder. The teens made no movement, merely staring blankly back.

"Um, we're missing like two people though." Snotlout retorted dryly, although he was already hopping back onto Hookfang's back. Fishlegs nodded in agreement, expression full of concern.

"Wasn't Hiccup sick, too?" He asked anxiously, Astrid feeling another pang of worry run through her at the question. She nodded tersely and turned back towards Toothless, who was shifting restlessly.

"Toothless, can you help us find Hiccup?" She paused when the Night Fury made no move to begin searching, eyeing the dragon questioningly. Toothless whimpered softly before slowly unfolding his wings, revealing the human he had been guarding underneath.

Astrid involuntarily stepped back, hand over her mouth. Hiccup was curled into a small ball on his side, his face full of pain. Her eyes darted towards the dried blood on his tunic as she hurriedly bent down towards Hiccup, trying to lift him as gently as possible. However, as soon as her hand made contact with his back, he jerked backwards, groaning as he mumbled something under his breath.

Astrid chewed her lip nervously, not wanting to hurt Hiccup more but knowing she needed to move him. She carefully heaved Hiccup up by the arms, trying to make as little contact with his back as possible. His breaths grew ragged the more he was moved, but he made no other sound. Slinging one of his arms over her shoulders for support, she glanced up at the others, who were too busy staring at Hiccup with fearful eyes.

"Is he alive?" Fishlegs squeaked out, terrified.

"Of course he's alive, Hiccup's gone through worse!" Tuffnut pointed out, immediately quieting once Astrid shot a glare at him.

"Not helping right now. Toothless, come here." She shifted towards Toothless, who immediately bent down to let her settle into the saddle as she placed Hiccup in front of her to support him. She frowned slightly when she realized she wouldn't be able to work Toothless' tailfin without Hiccup's help.

She was about to speak when another familiar roar echoed from outside. All eyes whipped towards the gate as Thornado quickly flew in, immediately coming to a halt in front of the group. It had seen the riders flying through the island and decided to follow.

"Hey look! It's Thornado! ... Uh, where's Stoick?" Snotlout exclaimed, growing antsier the longer they were on Outcast grounds. Astrid didn't know the answer, eyes filling with concern once more. Finding the chief on an island crawling with Outcast soldiers was really something she didn't want to do. Maybe that's where all the Outcast soldiers went, to where Stoick was!

"He's in the dungeon." Astrid was startled to hear Hiccup's voice, as weak as it was. She glanced down as Hiccup seemed to stir awake. His breathing was still uneven and the pain was still evident in his voice, but he was awake. And that's all that mattered to her right now.

"Fishlegs, I need you to go get Stoick." Astrid called out as Fishlegs stiffened, eyes widening in terror.

"M-me? Why me?" He squeaked, stepping closer towards Meatlug, as if hoping the Gronckle's large body would hide him from sight.

"Cause you're the one I trust the most after Hiccup." She replied easily.

"Hey!" The twins and Snotlout all shouted in unison, seemingly offended.

Astrid didn't respond, glaring at Fishlegs until the boy finally relented, groaning as he climbed onto his dragon. Astrid cleared her throat, causing him to look back up from his pouting. She gestured towards a fallen Outcast soldier in the corner, presumably fainted from terror. Fishlegs eyed the figure in confusion, before understanding dawned on his eyes and he shuffled off Meatlug and towards the fallen soldier. He quickly grabbed the ring of keys from the Outcast's waist and scampered away frantically, fearing the soldier would attack him if he didn't move fast enough. Without another word, Fishlegs hopped back onto his dragon and flew out the gate.

"Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut. Can you guys guard the gate? Make sure no one else gets in unless it's Fishlegs and the chief." They nodded eagerly and positioned themselves by the broken gate alongside their dragons, excited at the prospect of scaring off more Outcasts should they get in the way.

Astrid stilled, wondering what they needed to do now. Frankly, all they _could_ do right now was wait. Hopefully no more Outcasts flocked into the Arena; not that they couldn't take them down easily, but she'd rather not have any more disruptions in the way. Hiccup groaned, snapping Astrid back to reality as she instinctively moved her hands away from him, fearing she'd accidentally hurt him again. She could finally get a view of Hiccup's back, and even with the brown fur vest Hiccup always wore, the bright sun clearly distinguished the darkened and dried blood matting the hairs of the vest. Her eyes narrowed in anger, frustrated that anyone could treat him this way.

"Hiccup-" She began to speak before Hiccup cut in abruptly.

"It hurts…" He suddenly spoke, voice barely above a whisper and laced with pain. She her heart drop slightly at how weak and vulnerable he sounded. Never had she heard Hiccup like this before, even when he lost his leg.

"Where does it hurt, Hiccup?" She asked gently, although she had a pretty good idea of where he was hurting.

"Everywhere… My head, my arms, and back… My back really hurts." He whimpered, unable to get the shaking out of his voice. Astrid felt terrible, wanting everything in her power to help him, but they needed to get to Berk first. She grew slightly concerned when Hiccup said his head hurt, unable to understand why it would hurt when it was his back that seemed to be bleeding. Had he hit it when he fell? She reached forward to place a hand against his forehead, jerking back with a gasp at how hot it had gotten. That's right… he had a fever when he was still on Berk! Her heart began racing; he would only get worse if they didn't do anything. _Fishlegs, you better get back soon._

* * *

Stoick had been constantly wrestling with the chains for the past 10 minutes, to no avail. These chains were probably the only resilient things on this blasted island. He kept worrying about Hiccup, unable to forget the past times he'd seen his son. Every time he saw him Hiccup looked terrible; his condition had obviously worsened ever since he's been on this island. The new push of worry had him pulling at the chains with renewed energy, growing more and more frustrated at the lack of progress he was making.

He paused when he heard a door slowly creak open down the hall. He waited to hear the footsteps, thinking Hiccup was being led back to his cell, but was greeted with silence. He wondered if he had imagined the door opening when he suddenly heard silent footsteps slowly padding down the hall, so unlike the usual heavy footfalls he heard from the Outcasts. Stoick grew still, wondering who the person could possibly be when a large figure slowly tiptoed into view.

"_Fishlegs?_"

Fishlegs yelped and quickly turned towards the voice, releasing a huge breath at the sight of the chief.

"Oh thank Thor, okay. I'll get you out right now, sir!" He fumbled for the keys, hurriedly inserting it into the cell and sighing in relief as the lock clicked, opening the cell.

"How are you here?" Stoick asked incredulously as Fishlegs scurried inside and began working on unlocking the chains.

"The boat was empty, so Astrid had us turn back towards Outcast Island. We got here as fast as we could." Not for the first time, Stoick was immensely grateful for Astrid's quick thinking.

"Have you found Hiccup?" Fishlegs stiffened at the question, voice going abnormally high as he replied.

"Um, yes we did." He stammered, refusing to elaborate.

"Is he alright?" Fishlegs chose not to respond, only making Stoick more nervous as he felt the chains loosening. Obviously something was wrong.

As the final chain clattered to the ground, Stoick stood up, stretching his muscles out. He smiled down at Fishlegs, who was still jittery yet looking exhilarated at the successful rescue.

"Let's go find the others." Fishlegs nodded and ran forward, leading Stoick back towards the Arena.

* * *

Astrid was growing restless, fearing for Hiccup's life the longer they waited. Toothless was growing anxious as well, occasionally turning his head to stare at his semi-conscious rider with a worried coo. Snotlout's voice suddenly cut through the Arena, startling all three of them.

"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Snotlout commanded loudly, sending a jolt of fear through Astrid. Were the Outcasts back? Hopefully there weren't many…

"Oh… nevermind, you can pass." Snotlout followed up, voice back to his conversational tone. Confused, Astrid stared towards the gate where Snotlout was sheepishly grinning at something outside. He led Hookfang to the side, the twins following suit with their Zippleback as Stoick and Fishlegs jogged in. _Oh thank Odin_.

Stoick's eyes immediately landed on Hiccup settled in front of her and his eyes widened in concern. Before she could react, the chief was instantly by Toothless' side, eyeing Hiccup worriedly.

* * *

Hiccup was glad everyone was here, but frankly he just wanted to lie down and sleep. He had been sitting up for what seemed like an eternity, and his headache only seemed to be getting worse in this position. It wasn't long before he felt another presence beside him and he sneaked a small glance, feeling himself relax at the sight of his dad.

"Hey dad…" He managed weakly, glad his dad made it out, too. Part of him still worried where Alvin had gone off to, but he was too tired to ask.

"Hiccup…" His dad breathed tensely, reaching his hands towards him as if to envelop him into a hug, but paused as he thought better of it. He dropped his hands back down and settled for grasping one of Hiccup's hands. "Let's get home." Hiccup couldn't agree more and nodded slightly, focusing back on staying awake.

He felt his dad step away – probably to get on Thornado – and he took in a breath, knowing he needed to work Toothless' tail.

"Hiccup, if it's too much-" Astrid began hesitantly, still carefully supporting Hiccup in case he suddenly collapsed.

"No, I need to do at least this much." He replied, slowly sliding his prosthetic into place, opening up the tailfin. Toothless whined worriedly, not wanting to jostle Hiccup too much as he started into a slow run. It didn't hurt too much this time; he was probably getting used to it. He shut his eyes at the sudden burst of pain when Toothless launched into the air, but quickly opened them again and adjusted his vision, focusing on flying Toothless safely back home. Although he didn't say it, he was grateful Astrid stayed on Toothless with him, holding him up steadily from behind.

The rest of the gang immediately followed behind Toothless, flanking the Night Fury from all sides as they scanned the grounds for any possible attacks.

* * *

Stoick was slightly uneasy at how easily they were able to get off the island, knowing Alvin wouldn't just let them go. His suspicions were confirmed when he spotted Alvin standing on a cliff near the edge of the island, a couple soldiers standing behind him. They seemed to be waiting for them. He heard the other dragons growling, also having spotted the Outcast chief.

"Everyone else, stay back until I subdue the soldiers. When they're distracted, keep flying towards Berk." He demanded, waiting until all of them nodded. Hiccup was too tired to object, and even if he wanted to stay, he knew Toothless wouldn't allow it.

Stoick flew Thornado far in front of the group, tensing as he was almost near the soldiers. They didn't seem well-armed, only a handful holding a bola. Not that it mattered.

"Thornado!" He yelled, his dragon instantly responding with a deafening roar, its powerful soundwaves sending the soldiers sprawling onto the ground. Alvin stumbled, but managed to stay on his feet as he glared at Berkian chief. From the corner of his eyes, Stoick was satisfied to see the rest of the group quickly flying past the cliff and across the Outcast waters, setting course for home. He turned his attention back towards the Outcast chief, eyeing him furiously.

"You're going to regret this day, Alvin." He shouted angrily, only causing Alvin to grin widely.

"Really now? I don't think I will, Stoick! You should probably be worrying about your boy, though. Don't think he's going to make it." He casually remarked, grinning as Stoick bristled in fury.

"Don't concern yourself with my son, and you stay away from him. The day you ever try stepping foot on Berk again will be your last." Stoick snapped before ending the conversation and directing Thornado towards Berk as well.

Alvin watched Stoick's retreating figure with a cruel grin. "This isn't the end, Stoick." He mused ominously.

* * *

It wasn't long before Stoick was able to catch up, flying back next to Toothless. Astrid glanced up, eyeing the chief curiously.

"What did you say to Alvin, sir?" She asked tentatively, unsure if she was intruding on something private. Stoick merely sighed and stared tiredly ahead.

"Just gave him a warning. How's Hiccup?"

"I'm awake, and I'm fine." Hiccup replied, grimacing quietly at the small pains racing through his body.

"You are not fine, Hiccup. Can you stop acting like everything is oka-" Astrid stopped mid-sentence as Hiccup groaned loudly, cradling his head in his hands again. Stoick tensed, eyeing his son fearfully.

"What's wrong, son?" He watched as Astrid placed a hand against an exposed part of Hiccup's forehead before she stiffened as well. She bit her lip nervously and glanced at Stoick as she resumed carefully steadying Hiccup once more. He was no longer cradling his head but kept his eyes shut and head down, gripping the saddle tightly and drawing in ragged breaths.

"I didn't think it was possible, but his fever's getting worse, chief."


	13. Chapter 13

**(A/N: Almost done! Probably just one more chapter before this story's completed! Thank you to those who gave their opinion on the story idea I asked about in the last chapter, I'll get started on that once I finish the last chapter for this! You all are the best, seriously.)**

**Chapter 13**

The flight home was thankfully quick; Toothless seemed to realize the deteriorating state his rider was in and flew as fast as he could, trying his best not to jostle Hiccup. Astrid kept her hands gingerly on Hiccup's shoulders, trying to minimize as much movement as possible. The rest of the teens were eerily silent as well, all eyeing Stoick nervously as the chief flew close to Toothless, glancing between his son and the waters ahead. It wasn't long before the familiar island of Berk rose above the horizon, everyone visibly relaxing as they finally flew across the well-known grounds of their village.

"Fishlegs, go get Gothi and send her to my house." Stoick instructed, the teen feverishly nodding and turning towards the direction of the elder's hut.

"Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, thank you for today. You three can go home." They immediately opened their mouths to object, clearly wanting to make sure Hiccup was okay, but thought better of it. They silently nodded and broke apart from the group, flying to their respective homes.

Toothless silently touched down in front Stoick's house, crouching towards the ground once more to let Astrid help Hiccup down as gently as she could. Hiccup was still awake, but looked as if he would collapse at any moment. Stoick noticed a couple villagers curiously eyeing the group huddled in front of the steps and sighed, not wanting to stir any more outrage should they hear the chief's son was kidnapped by the Outcasts. He gathered Hiccup into his arms carefully, quickly stepping into the house with Toothless and Astrid close behind.

* * *

The warmth of his house was incredibly familiar and relaxing, even over the aching pains running through Hiccup's body. When his dad lifted him up so suddenly, he had to resist the urge to cry out, not wanting to worry anyone anymore. He felt himself being laid down on his stomach on a hard surface, one he vaguely recognized as the kitchen table. Why he was on there confused him, but he was glad he could finally lie down and rest. He wanted to see Toothless, but he was so tired. He'll see him after he woke up. And with that, Hiccup drifted away, gladly giving in to dark enfolds of sleep.

* * *

Stoick wasn't surprised to see Hiccup immediately fall asleep the second he laid him down on the kitchen table. He'd obviously been through a lot. He sighed tiredly and turned towards Astrid, who was restlessly standing by his son, worry plain on her face.

"Astrid…" He started to speak before Astrid instantly met his gaze with a hardened expression.

"No, I want to stay here."

"I know you do, but right now Hiccup needs to be tended to. You're welcome to come back in the morning." Stoick didn't want Astrid seeing whatever wounds Alvin may have inflicted on his son; from the looks of the dried blood, it wasn't going to be pleasant. Astrid went silent, eyes conflicted as she stared down at the ground.

"…Okay." She knew the chief meant well, and Hiccup needed all the rest he could get. She'd help out tomorrow morning. She strode out of the house, where her Nadder was eagerly waiting to return home.

Toothless cooed restlessly by the table, knowing better than to leap onto it and settled for curling up underneath, waiting for Hiccup to be taken off of it.

No sooner had Astrid left, Gothi walked in, shutting the door firmly with a serious expression. Stoick nodded curtly and made way for Gothi to get onto a chair, allowing her to easily examine Hiccup. Stoick hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath as Gothi gently peeled off Hiccup's fur vest, revealing the back of his tunic covered in blood. Gothi's expression darkened, eyeing Stoick once before slowly rolling up shirt enough to expose his back.

Stoick sucked in a harsh breath, eyeing the clear whip marks across his son's back in horror. He was suddenly filled with rage towards Alvin, unable to believe he would do such a thing just to get Hiccup to train some dragons. To his utter relief, it didn't look infected. Gothi remained neutral, scanning the injuries briefly before setting her bag on the table, pulling out a mixture of herbs, salves, and bandages. She pulled out a cloth before finally turning towards Stoick, gesturing towards the sink. Stoick stared in confusion before suddenly realizing the request, quickly running to fill a bowl of water and setting it beside Gothi. She nodded briskly and dipped the cloth into the bowl, wringing it of any excess water before beginning to clean the wounds.

A small whimper came from Hiccup as the cloth made contact with his back; Stoick felt his heart break at the sound and settled into a stool on the opposite side of Gothi, facing Hiccup and grasping one of his hands. Hiccup's face was scrunched up in pain, but he made no other noise to indicate otherwise. Stoick felt completely helpless, unable to ease the pain until Gothi had finished up. He settled for brushing the few strands of hair from Hiccup's forehead – noting how high his fever had gotten – and holding Hiccup's hand throughout the entire process. He noticed Hiccup's expression relaxing as Gothi began to apply some healing salve and wrapping his back with bandages, sending relief coursing through him.

Gothi was done faster than he thought, which was expected as she was the best healer on Berk. She stared at him calmly, pointing towards a pot on the stove before putting her hands together and placing them against the side of her face. Hiccup needed to eat and get plenty of rest. He nodded in confirmation and whispered a "thank you" as she packed her things and set course for her hut.

As carefully as he could, Stoick rolled Hiccup over and picked him up before making his way towards the bedroom. Toothless immediately perked up from underneath the table, following close behind. Before approaching the bed, he grabbed a spare clean tunic from the dresser. As he sat Hiccup onto the bed, he gently tried easing the dirtied shirt off him. Hiccup was still asleep, but managed to cooperate enough to slide off the shirt and put on the new one. As he finally laid Hiccup down, part of him worried it would irritate the bandages on his back. Thankfully, Hiccup merely mumbled something incoherent and rolled over onto his side, snuggling into the blanket furs. He pondered sitting at his bedside for the night, but decided against it as he watched Toothless curl up at the side of the bed, knowing he could trust the dragon to wake him should something happen. But the fever… He frowned slightly, reluctant to leave Hiccup alone throughout the night with that high a temperature. Mind made up, Stoick turned back downstairs to retrieve a new cloth and cold bucket of water, deciding to cool Hiccup's forehead down even if it was for a couple hours.

Stoick smiled when Hiccup sighed contently once the dampened cloth was placed against his sweating forehead, feeling a bit lighter at the improvement. Toothless refused to fall asleep either – he settled for watching Stoick periodically rewet the rag with wide eyes. Only when Toothless let out a purr did he finally look up from his task, eyes widening when he glanced at the window. It had gotten considerably lighter already, the sun just about to rise. So much for sleeping. Oddly enough, he wasn't feeling that tired yet, probably from the adrenaline that still hadn't worn out. He sighed, replacing the rag back onto Hiccup's forehead a final time before pushing himself to his feet. He brushed Hiccup's hair down gently before leaving for the kitchen to make some breakfast.

* * *

Hiccup woke up extremely groggy but better than he had in ages. Granted his body was still sore all over, but it was better than the harsh pain he'd been enduring yesterday. The only downside was how lightheaded he felt; he hadn't felt this dizzy even on the first day he found out he was sick. The pounding in his head was a familiar occurrence by now, not that he liked it. He made a move to sit upward but was surprised at how difficult it was to push himself upward. But he was stubborn; he drew in another breath and pushed himself onto his back, the new position stretching his back and earning a hiss of pain. Toothless' ears perked up and he instantly was on his feet, sniffing Hiccup eagerly. Hiccup laughed as he pet Toothless reassuringly, wincing slightly from the motion. Gods, was he sore.

"Surprised to see you up already." Hiccup startled, glancing towards the doorway and smiling when he saw Astrid. She looked relieved to see him awake as she settled into a chair by his bed.

"So, how are you feeling?" Astrid asked as Toothless immediately ran next to her and nudged her happily. She grinned and scratched his head.

"Oh, I've definitely had better days." Hiccup remarked dryly, scooting backwards against the headboard to prop himself up, ignoring the slight pain that resulted from it. He hadn't realized he was grimacing until he saw Astrid's concerned expression. He opened his mouth to reassure her that he was fine but froze as Astrid reached a hand towards his forehead. She frowned slightly.

"You still have a pretty high fever." Hiccup glanced down at the now lukewarm cloth that had fallen onto his lap, sighing miserably.

"Yeah, so much for flying today." Toothless brightened at the word 'flying', barking happily before running in a quick circle in his excitement at the thought of finally resuming their daily flight routine. Astrid had gone silent, prompting Hiccup to look back up again, wondering if she had actually left. She was still there, but was eyeing him incredulously.

"You weren't seriously considering going flying today, did you? Are you nuts?" Astrid exclaimed, still completely baffled.

Hiccup sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, hoping he could laugh his way out of this. "Um, maybe?"

"Hiccup, do you not understand how sick you are right now? You can barely lean forward without being in pain!"

"Not true!" Part of him knew Astrid was right, but he didn't like people drawing assumptions about him. Astrid raised one eyebrow, crossing her arms and straightening up in her seat.

"Alright, do it."

Hiccup sighed, steadying himself with one breath before leaning forward halfway from his straightened position. The wounds on his back screamed angrily at the movement and his head only worsened in the pounding, but he managed to keep quiet as he settled back upwards. Thankfully, the pain subsided immediately once he returned to his usual posture. He smiled and turned towards Astrid, only to have the smile slide off once he noticed the triumphant smirk on her face.

"What? I did it!" Astrid was grinning fully now, only perplexing him more.

"You should have seen your face, Hiccup." She proceeded to imitate what she had just seen, scrunching her face in a dramatic interpretation of Hiccup's pained face when he had moved. Hiccup groaned; had he really been making a face?

"I do not look like that!" He countered, flushing in embarrassment. Astrid chuckled softly as the sound of footsteps thumped up the staircase. Stoick emerged, grasping a tray of – oh Gods – soup. Toothless cooed cheerfully at the sight of his dad, immediately making way for him as Astrid stood up as well, clearing the seat.

"Morning, son! I bet you're hungry!" Stoick chirped, nodding warmly towards Astrid before sitting in the now vacant chair, placing the tray on Hiccup's lap. Hiccup eyed the plain bowl of soup disdainfully. It was true he hadn't eaten in a while, but all the discomfort and headaches he'd been having drew away from his appetite.

"I'm actually not that hungry, dad." Hiccup started, expecting the frown to appear on his dad's face. Sure enough, Stoick eyed him sternly, shaking his head at the response.

"Yes you are."

"No I'm really extra sure that I'm not."

"Yes. You are."

Hiccup groaned, knowing this was a fight he wasn't going to win. After a few seconds of sulking, he finally brought the spoon to his mouth, taking a tentative sip. As he expected, it tasted like nothing. Everything he'd eaten ever since he got sick seemed to taste like nothing. He easily grew tired from the constant movement of his arms, but continued to finish the soup to appease his dad as Astrid began speaking.

"Did you know Hiccup was planning on flying today?" Astrid pointed out playfully. Hiccup looked up from the bowl in alarm, shooting his best death glare at Astrid. She smiled teasingly, knowing exactly how Stoick was going to respond.

"_What_?! Have you lost your mind, son? Thor knows what happened last time I let you go flying when you were sick!" Stoick exclaimed, outraged.

"Yeah yeah, I know…" Hiccup mumbled, actually thankful he could distract himself with the task of finishing his soup instead of arguing with his dad.

"I'll have you know you won't be flying for the next couple days. Maybe even a couple weeks!"

A couple _weeks_?! Hiccup's mouth fell open in disbelief, about to argue against such a decree when Toothless beat him to it, letting out a long whine as the Night Fury collapsed onto the ground in sorrow. He rolled around miserably, the beginning of another of his trademark fits. Hiccup couldn't stop the laughter that overtook him, unable to stop even when it began to hurt, his dad's comment momentarily forgotten.

He finally looked up from his laughter to find Astrid and his dad both eyeing him with an amused grin. Toothless was calming from his fit, but remained on his back, still whining softly. He settled back against the headboard carefully, letting his dad take the now empty bowl and tray back downstairs as Astrid replaced Stoick in the chair.

A cough unexpectedly made its way up his throat, turning into many more as he tried to stay as still as possible. Unfortunately, the forced stillness only tightened the muscles on his back, making it hurt more than it would have. He held a hand against his head, praying that it would stop hurting for at least a moment, to no avail. He let out a shaky breath, wishing all of it would disappear already.

"Um, I think I'm gonna sleep some of this off." Hiccup gestured to nothing in particular, grinning weakly at Astrid.

"Not before you take your medicine!" Stoick's voice floated back into the room as he sauntered in, cup in hand.

"Medicine? Since when have we had medicine?" Hiccup asked, confused.

"We didn't. Gothi stopped by this morning to drop off some herbs that would help with your fever. I just had to crush them and boil them together before I gave it to you!"

Hiccup took the cup carefully, about to tell his dad to thank Gothi… before he peered into the cup. He recoiled, disgusted. As if the dark murky liquid didn't look unappetizing enough, the smell was the worst. Oh Odin, the _smell_. He was tempted to say that Outcast Island actually smelled better than this, but decided bringing up that place wouldn't help. Toothless crept next to Hiccup, sniffing the cup curiously. He immediately snorted in revulsion and promptly walked into the far corner of the room, covering his head with his wings as if trying to block the stench.

"Uh, dad? Have you seen this? Better question, have you smelled this?"

"Of course I have, son! It smells like you getting better, that's what!"

"I think you're trying to kill me."

"Come on, Hiccup! It doesn't look _that_ bad." Astrid pointed out, although her face told the complete opposite. She took a few subconscious steps backwards, obviously having smelled the concoction as well.

"Hiccup…" His dad began warningly, glaring at him. Hiccup groaned and shut his eyes, hoping that his lack of taste would pull through for this drink. In one motion, he brought the cup to his mouth and chugged it down in one sitting. Once he finished, he nearly threw the cup at his dad, tongue flapping out in distaste. Thankfully he couldn't taste much of it, but the after-taste was gruesome.

"I think I'm sicker than before." He moaned, clutching his stomach.

"You better not throw up unless you want to drink a whole pot of this." Hiccup's eyes widened in horror, frantically taking deep breaths to calm himself as Astrid laughed at the scene. His dad nodded with a smile and rustled his hair before leaving through the door once more.

Once he had brought his stomach under control, he slowly slid down with a groan until he was lying back on his back, ignoring the constant pains that were bothering him everywhere. Astrid eyed him worriedly and rewet the abandoned cloth, placing it against his forehead.

"Get some rest." She ordered, her hand lightly touching one of his. He felt his hand tingle at the contact, but made no effort to move it away. He nodded and with a deep breath, closed his eyes and drifted off. Toothless returned back by the bottom of the bed, curling up with a coo.

* * *

Astrid grinned and stuck around for a couple minutes more, returning downstairs to help Stoick. The chief was by the sink, slowly washing the soup bowl. She immediately sidestepped away from the stove, noticing the half-filled pot of what was Hiccup's medicine still boiling. The smell was nauseating, but she grew used to it after a couple seconds.

She settled into a nearby stool, letting the silence fall among them before Stoick called her name, startling her. She whipped her gaze towards him questioningly. He had finished washing the bowl and was drying his hands on a cloth as he turned towards her.

Stoick's gaze softened as he regarded Astrid. "Thank you… for yesterday. Without you, we might not have gotten off the island as soon as we did. You did well." Astrid offered a small grin, nodding respectfully.

Multiple knocks suddenly rang throughout the house, surprising them both. Astrid quickly hopped off the stool and approached the door, opening it to reveal the rest of the teens restlessly waiting at the doorstep.

"Um, is Hiccup okay?" Fishlegs inquired anxiously.

Astrid smiled. "He's better, he's sleeping right now."

"Can we hang out here until he wakes up?" Snotlout asked; he may make fun of Hiccup, but he was his cousin, and he wanted to make sure he was alright.

Stoick grinned warmly and nodded. "Of course, come on in."

The teens all grinned, all taking one step into the house before coming to a screeching halt, faces slightly dropping.

Tuffnut was the first to speak up. "Ugh, what is that _smell_?!"


	14. Chapter 14

**(A/N: Oh man, finally done! I'M SORRY in advance for the crappy ending, I really am. Actually, sorry for this chapter - I could have written it a looot better. **

**If this counts as an excuse, I've been itching to start writing those pre-HTTYD2 one shots, so I'll get working on those now! First up, Hiccup's braids omg. Him and Astrid are literally the cutest thing to happen to this world. I'm probably gonna be titling the story "Just The Beginning", so for those who actually want to read it, stay tuned! Thank you so much for sticking around for this story, all of you are amazing!)**

**Chapter 14**

Toothless was extremely bored. It was already getting dark, the sky fading into a deep purple and Hiccup _still_ hadn't woken up! He could hear numerous voices downstairs, all chatting and laughing like there was nothing wrong. Abruptly, he stood and padded over towards his rider's bed for the millionth time and tentatively sniffed Hiccup, eyeing him just to make sure he was still alive. This was just like when Hiccup was asleep after defeating that queen dragon; Toothless hoped it wouldn't take as long for him to wake up as it did back then.

He cooed softly in the hopes that Hiccup might stir at his voice. When that failed, he settled for occasionally nudging his rider's hand. After the fifth nudge, Toothless' ears perked to the sound of a very quiet grumble. Hiccup was waking up! With a purr, he prodded Hiccup's hand excitedly, happy to see some movement at last. To his dismay, Hiccup merely mumbled "Go 'way" before turning onto his side, his breaths evening out once more. With an irritated growl, Toothless stomped over to the other side of the bed, glaring at his rider's sleeping face. He looked peaceful, but he could see the slight pain running across his expression once in a while. No, he wasn't winning this one.

Toothless ran his tongue across Hiccup's face, making sure it was extra full of saliva. The response was instantaneous – Hiccup startled and jerked awake, propping himself up with his elbows wearing an alarmed expression.

* * *

"What the-" Hiccup eyed Toothless, who was sitting at his bedside expectantly, tongue lolling out. That and the drool coating his face and he knew.

"Toothless! Ugh, really?" He cried, exasperated. He sat and made a motion to wipe his face but cringed at the movement, his wounds still unused to the constant activity. At least he didn't feel as dizzy… Although the headache was still pestering him. He sat there, drawing in deep breaths as Toothless grew more excited that he was finally awake.

With a couple loud barks, Toothless ran in a circle before bounding across the room, as if him waking up was the greatest thing that could happen. He cracked a smile, feeling a sense of nostalgia at his dragon's reaction. Just like when he'd woken up after defeating the Red Death…

Numerous footsteps crashed up the stairs as the door flung open with a slam, Hiccup wincing at the loud noise. Stoick and the teens stood crowded in the doorway, expressions ranging from fear to curiosity.

"What was that ruckus? Is something wrong?" His dad breathed anxiously, eyes scanning the room.

"No, just Toothless being Toothless." Hiccup replied amusedly, still eyeing his dragon, who was finally beginning to calm down. Toothless quickly made his way back to the bedside, affectionately nuzzling his side. He suppressed a grimace at the sharp pain that ran up his back when Toothless nestled his nose near his back, smiling weakly as he pet him warmly.

His dad sighed in relief, finally stepping into the room with the teens close behind. Astrid was the first to make it to his bedside, her happy expression suddenly morphing into one of concern.

"Gods, Hiccup. You're sweating so much!" Hiccup was confused; he wasn't feeling hot at all, he couldn't possibly be sweating! A realization suddenly hit him as he laughed awkwardly.

"No no, not sweat. Just a lot of Night Fury saliva." Astrid, who had been about to reach out and place a hand against his forehead, immediately drew her hand back in distaste. She bent down to pick up the cloth that had fallen to the floor and handed it to him, allowing him to wipe off the drool.

Almost instantly after he finished cleaning his face a larger hand pressed against his forehead. He glanced up into the worried eyes of his dad, watching his expression slowly melt into one of relief.

"Oh thank Thor, your fever's gone down. Looks like we really should be thanking Gothi!" Hiccup smiled weakly, shuddering at the memory of the medicine. It may have helped, but he never wanted to see it again.

"Although your fever's not completely gone. One more cup of that medicine should help get rid of it…" Stoick mumbled thoughtfully as Hiccup blanched in despair.

"Dad, I think I'd rather deal with the fever than go near that medicine again."

"Tell me about it, it smells terrible downstairs!" Tuffnut exclaimed, still slightly gagging from the stench.

"You sure the smell isn't from you?" Ruffnut asked with a smirk.

"I'm sure, cause it's obviously you!" Tuffnut shot back. Ruffnut replied with a sharp headbutt against her twin's helmet, resulting in an endless clash of metal against metal.

The commotion only intensified the pounding in Hiccup's head, but he didn't want to ruin the casual atmosphere. Everyone's finally back to normal, he could handle a measly headache. He put on a smile and did his best to ignore everything that was bothering him and focused on trying to stop getting everyone to worry about him.

As Astrid pulled the twins apart with a sigh, Snotlout and Fishlegs both made their ways to the bed, eyeing Hiccup anxiously.

"Are you feeling better?" Fishlegs asked, concerned. Snotlout nodded to the question, looking the most emotional he'd ever seen his cousin.

"Um, yeah I'm fine. Thanks, Fishlegs." Hiccup responded, still staring at Snotlout with a raised eyebrow. Since when did Snotlout have feelings?

Snotlout grew slightly red at Hiccup's suspicious stare, the emotional look gone from his eyes. "Not that I cared or anything. I just wanted to make sure you weren't dead so I can go back to making fun of you later!"

"Ah, I was wondering where you were, Snotlout!" Hiccup replied with a laugh.

"What are you talking about, I was here the whole time! Chief, I think Hiccup's going blind." Snotlout stared pointedly at Stoick, who was merely chuckling in response.

"Alright kids, I think that's enough for today. Hiccup still isn't completely well yet, so let's all get on home so he can rest." The teens settled down, all quieting as they bid goodnight to both Hiccup and the chief before piling out of the room and back downstairs. Astrid lingered behind, turning back towards Hiccup briefly. He stared at her questioningly before she raised a fist and lightly punched him in the shoulder. It was considerably softer than the usual strength she used, but in his current condition, she could have thrown a boulder at his shoulder instead.

"OW! Astrid, you can't just go and punch an injured person like that!" He cried, grimacing at the small waves of pain travelling down his back from the punch.

"That's for getting kidnapped." She remarked dryly with a grin. Hiccup froze, knowing what Astrid usually followed up with when she said that, but he was sick! He didn't want to spread it to othe-

Astrid leaned down and gave him a light peck on the cheek, smirking as she straightened back up.

"And _that's_ only because you're sick." She smiled warmly at him before tracing the other teens' steps back downstairs, pausing to bid goodnight to Stoick, who was standing by the door with a childish grin.

Hiccup blushed furiously as his dad chuckled at the aftermath, murmuring something about "young love".

"Okay dad, I get it! Can I go to sleep now?" Hiccup slid down onto his back, completely exhausted from just sitting up and talking. Toothless cooed, nuzzling Hiccup's hand gently before curling up on the floor once more as well. His headache was being a complete pain, as if he already had enough annoyance from his back. Not to mention the coughing – it was almost nonexistent now, but when it hit him it was definitely a nuisance.

"Sorry, good night son." Stoick whispered apologetically, a smile still on his face.

"Night, dad." Hiccup mumbled, silently cheering that his dad forgot about the medicine.

The door had only closed for a second before it reopened and his dad stuck his head back in.

"And don't think you're off the hook, you're getting one more cup of that medicine in the morning." _The Gods hate me_. Hiccup grumbled an incomprehensible response and pulled the blanket furs up higher over his head as his dad chuckled and finally shut the door.

* * *

_And suddenly, he was back in that musty Outcast cell, on his hands and knees as he stared at the tips of Alvin's dirty boots. _

"_You're on my island now, Hiccup. Don't you forget that."_

_His blood froze at the comment, a sudden sense of fear washing over him at the memory. No, this wasn't happening again._

_Back then, he hadn't understood what Alvin was trying to imply with that threat, but he had barely lifted his head to glare at Alvin in the eye when he felt an incredibly quick lash fall across his back, instantly rippling through his entire being with blinding agony. He cried in alarm, his arms instantly giving out from the shock as he reflexively curled into a ball, trying to shrink away from whatever dealt such a blow. He felt Alvin harshly kick at his shoulder, turning him back onto his stomach as he tried propping himself up again to stand. A second lash immediately made another forceful mark across the new wound, the pain excruciating. He couldn't hold himself up anymore, it was too painful; he fell back towards the ground, drawing in labored breaths as he tried to see past the tears stinging his eyes. _

_Alvin didn't care. He roughly grabbed him by the collar and positioned him enough to land another blow to his back. All Hiccup could do was weakly claw at the hand holding him up, screaming with each whip lash. Alvin had paused after the fifth whipping, the grip on his collar tightening. _

"_Are you ready to listen to me now, boy?" He snapped fiercely. _

_He was so tempted to say 'yes', to make this stop. But he couldn't betray his village like that; nothing would allow him to put Berk in danger. _

"_You think this is enough to make me listen to you, Alvin?" He countered, surprised at how steady his voice was even through the intensifying pain. He shut his eyes, drawing in another breath when he heard Alvin growl menacingly and shift once more, raising the whip high in the air._

* * *

With a small cry, Hiccup sat abruptly in bed, panting heavily. He didn't even feel the usual pain that ran down his healing back or the lingering headache, too caught in the adrenaline. _It was just a nightmare. Just a nightmare._ As much as he wanted that to reassure him, it felt too real. He felt his breathing quicken as his eyes quickly darted across the pitch dark room, growing more panicked at the thought of being alone again. He gasped when he felt something poke at his hand, instantly recoiling from the contact.

He glanced down and let out a shaky laugh, never having felt happier when he locked eyes with Toothless, who was watching him worriedly.

"T-Toothless… Oh thank Gods you're okay. I'm fine. I'm okay now. He's not here." He kept rambling deliriously, still reeling from the nightmare. His headache flared suddenly, causing him to clutch at his head with a groan, his breathing uneven.

Toothless watched silently for only a moment longer before climbing onto the already crowded bed, nearly pushing Hiccup off the edge.

"Woah, Toothless what are yo-" Toothless curled onto the bed comfortably before gathering Hiccup into his paws, effectively pinning the boy against his body. His wings easily folded over Hiccup, acting as a makeshift blanket. Hiccup calmed down, already realizing his dragon's attempts at comforting him. He sighed, feeling as if the pain from his back and head were dulled when he was near Toothless.

"Thanks, bud." He whispered before snuggling against the Night Fury and closing his eyes once more. Toothless purred in response, his gentle grip never loosening on his rider as they both fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

When he woke up, he was alarmed at how dark it still was. Surely he had slept through the night, hadn't he? He made a motion to glance out the window when he became acutely aware of the familiar feeling of a Night Fury's scales and the smooth feeling of Toothless' wings brushing over him. He smiled, realization suddenly washing over him.

"Hey bud, time to get up." He whispered, laughing when Toothless grumbled and tightened his grip, curling closer around his rider. Oddly enough, the firmer hold didn't bother his back that much this time, only sending a mild wave of irritation that he could easily handle. He silently thanked the Gods that his headache didn't greet him in the morning, praying that it wouldn't come back this time.

"Come on you useless reptile, we need to get up." He barely finished the sentence when he heard the door creak open; he turned his head to see the guest, only to be greeted with the dark hide of Toothless' wing.

"Morning, son, are you feeli- _Toothless_?! What are you doing on Hiccup's bed? _Hiccup?!_ Son, where are you?" His dad's voice grew more and more frantic with each new question.

"I'm here dad." He replied, voice surely muffled by the wings but loud enough for his dad to figure out where he was.

"Oh. What in Thor's name is Toothless doing sleeping with you on the bed?"

"Uh, I guess he just missed me. Right, bud?" Toothless huffed in response, still not moving. He didn't want to tell his dad about the nightmare – they were already putting that behind them, and it would be better not to bring that place up again. His dad sighed before speaking up again.

"Alright, Toothless. Let my son get up, he needs to take his medicine." Hiccup's eyes widened at the remark, horror washing over him when he felt Toothless grumble in reply and begin loosening his grip on his rider. Hiccup scrambled to stop his dragon, one hand holding onto one of Toothless' paws and the other keeping the wing from lifting and revealing him.

"On second thought, you can stay like this bud. Whatever you do, don't let my dad get to me." He whispered, knowing where his dragon's loyalties lied. Sure enough, Toothless paused from getting up and returned to lie back down and curl around Hiccup, hiding him from sight once more. He heard his dad groan in frustration and grinned. It was good to be back home.


End file.
